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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557582">Symphony of Stardust</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowRoseDB/pseuds/ShadowRoseDB'>ShadowRoseDB</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfdude16/pseuds/Wolfdude16'>Wolfdude16</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, Persona 5, Super Smash Brothers, Xenoblade Chronicles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Child Lucina (Fire Emblem), Established Relationship, Female My Unit | Kamui | Corrin, How Do I Tag, Male My Unit | Reflet | Robin, Mercenary Chrom, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pirate Robin, She is 12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:08:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>50,981</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowRoseDB/pseuds/ShadowRoseDB, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfdude16/pseuds/Wolfdude16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(Fantasy AU) Dark forces threaten to drive the kingdom's of Ylesse and Plrgia to a renewed war. In the midst of the conflict, the younger sister of Ylesse's King finds herself taken far from home. With mysterious forces out for her life, she must seek help in the most unlikely of places to find her way back home and prevent her country from being consumed by war once more</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chrom/My Unit | Reflet | Robin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Taken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello everyone, this is my first fanfiction here. on a whim I decide to get a Ao3 account and now I'm crossposting my current work. anyways I hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The atmosphere in the carriage was suffocating; a bowstring pulled back with an arrow still knotted. They rode through the beautiful rolling green hills of a foreign county, Yet there was silence.</p><p>She flipped through an old tale of knights and dragons, her eyes not straying from the middle of the page. But he knew if he asked her about the book, she could answer him automatically.</p><p>It had been like this for days, and he wanted to put her mind at ease, considering what was between them. Not able to take the tension anymore, he finally spoke, "You're not still mad, are you?"</p><p>She took a deep breath, and he prepared himself for the rant of the century before she finally spoke. "I'm not mad, I wasn't mad" she closed the old tome quietly. "I'm just ..."</p><p>"This'll be fun" he tried to sound hopeful, but he could tell by the expression on her face she didn't buy it.</p><p>"Marth's not going to be happy about this," she sighed, "he didn't want me to go, and in truth, I can see why" she tucked the book back into a small carrier bag hidden under her seat.</p><p>"Luci," he was going to comfort her but didn't get to finish.</p><p>"It's Plegia," she gazed outside the window between them "he's scared and doesn't want me involved."</p><p>"All I'm saying is, you're the Princess; you have a right to be involved."</p><p>"I'm not old enough" she leaned back into her chair, and he could see two different versions of her simultaneously. One of her age, a young twelve-year-old princess, quiet, polite, and small; and then there was the other half, just as mature and responsible as a young woman in her teens, you could see it in her eyes. "at least that's what the council says."</p><p>he was almost offended; she was twice the princess they expected her to be, and yet they still saw her as nothing more than a child. "Those old bags don't know what they're talking about; you're mature enough to be involved in politics."</p><p>There was a shadow in her eyes as she spoke. "Well, our father was old enough by their standards and look where that put us" he knew what she was talking about, he war wasn't something she directly talked about, but they always knew when she was thinking about it. She clutched the hem of her dress. "Ylisse is still in a panic" there was a bit of light behind her eyes this time, "but if we can get this piece treaty, we can quell their fears, we can start to fix this."</p><p>He placed a hand on hers "it'll be fine, Luci" he wanted to ease her nerves, to cheer her up. This was one of those rare moments when she didn't act her age, and this made him protective. She was only three years younger than him, but sometimes he felt like she was far older than him. He needed her mind off the war, just for a little while. "Hyrule is pretty nice, don't you think?"</p><p>She looked up at him and then back out the window, the grip on her skirt loosening slightly. "It is beautiful, isn't it."</p><p>He smiled, "You've always wanted to come, right. What with all the legends about this place, I would have thought you would've been ecstatic." there was a faint hint of sadness in her gaze, but thankfully not the darkness from before.</p><p>She spoke softly, and he leaned in closer to hear her "I would be, if peace wasn't on the line" she looked back up at him, and he leaned back in his seat, and the two returned their gaze out the window "I know what Tiki wanted to do, but ..."</p><p>he scratched the back of his head thinking for something anything to lighten her mood "Well think of it this way, Marth can stop worrying about if you're doing okay if your right there next to him"</p><p>She shook her head "I don't think me being there will calm him anymore so than usual" she smiled again, and he almost sighed with relief "plus that's what the Professor is there for"</p><p>There was a playful smirk on her face telling him she knew something he didn't. "I suppose," he smiled back at her, realizing her mood had lightened. "so … are you still mad you came here, or are you still upset you didn't get invited sooner."</p><p>She chuckled, "Roy; you know me better than that," she stuck out her tongue. "I'm not a child."</p><p>He ran a hand through his messy red hair and avoided looking her in the eye "... well" a grin threatening to overtake his face</p><p>"Roy!" although she raised her voice, he could see her fighting back a laugh and a smile, but he said no more, and she didn't add anything, then there was silence again. This time, however, it didn't feel as heavy as the last; instead, it was a pleasant ride through the countryside.</p><p>They rode alongside the river taking in the view of the towering mountains that were split in half loomed over them. They could see large ore deposits and small outcroppings.</p><p>Then the carriage came to an abrupt stop.</p><p>The two nobles looked at each other before Roy stood. He pulled back the curtain that separated him from the driver, "what's wrong?"</p><p>Lucina couldn't quite hear what the driver was saying, but she didn't like how long the conversation seemed to be, then he closed the curtain and stepped over to open the door to step out.</p><p>"What's going on?" he gave her a couscous look and turned to leave again. but responded with an amused and almost frustrated tone</p><p>"Merchants," he opened the door, "got lost, and now they need to see our map, it shouldn't take long, stay here."</p><p>She nodded, but after he left, she began to toss the idea around in her head. Merchants? The idea seemed odd; why would people who made their living off traveling trade need a map? More importantly, wouldn't they already have one?</p><p>A crash snaps her out of her thoughts; those were arrows. She stood abruptly. There were arrowheads suddenly breaking though the carriage walls and the sounds of flint hitting steel. Roy was in danger. She reached behind her chair and pulled out the short sword her professor had always advised her on carrying. The thought of a two on one fight seemed unfair; hopefully, she could even the odds.</p><p>She pinned herself against the wall when the door to the carriage suddenly opened.</p><p>A figure clad in a deep red outfit, a mask obstructing their face, stood in the doorway. She didn't give herself much time to think about it. She slammed the sheathed sword against the figure's knees, forcing them to tumble to the ground. She darted out the door before the intruder could gather themselves.</p><p>Once outside, she beheld a bitter sight. Not just one but three archers stood in the same attire as the one who had entered. She looked everywhere for Roy and found a spot of blue amongst the ground, but he wasn't hiding. Whether he was unconscious or dead, she didn't know. She prayed to Naga; it was the former.</p><p>She unsheathed her sword, unsure if making a stand was even an option at this point. Surrounded, her only companion unresponsive, and they had distance while she didn't even have armor. She turned and ran, hoping to get out of the pass.</p><p>A taller figure stood at the exit. A much larger man, his towering stature reminded her of the wall of muscle ex-mercenary that was her brother's retainer. He was taking slow and determined steps towards her: his weapon, a long and powerful looking blade with magic symbols running through its core.</p>
<hr/><p>The room felt so vast, and his guest felt so far. She was overlooking the parchment they had been passing back and forth for the past few hours. Her deep brown eyes overlooking the agreements, he could tell she was evaluating him and his promises.</p><p>He felt as if his collar was strangling him. Peace was riding on this agreement.</p><p>There was a knock at the door before she could give him an answer. His retainer stepped into the room and stood by his king's side. "Sorry for interrupting your Majesty, but … I need to speak with his Highness a moment."</p><p>She didn't answer but simply nodded, and Marth stood "my apologies, your Grace, this shouldn't take long."</p><p>Once, the two stepped out of the room and into the hallway. The ex-mercenary closed the door behind the two of them and made a frustrated sigh. "Marth"</p><p>The Young King almost growled, "Ike, This better be import-"</p><p>"It's Luci," Ike interrupted. "She was supposed to arrive today, but ..."</p><p>"But"</p><p>Ike didn't look at his king as he clenched his jaw "Sheikah scouts followed the road and found her carriage" he crossed his arms as if trying to control his temper "abandoned at Twin Peaks,"</p><p>Marth only stared wide-eyed as his retainer continued, "Roy is with the healers, there was nothing we could do for the driver and Luci ..."</p><p>Marth swallowed his mounting anxiety, Ike continued "She wasn't there, but all her stuff was."</p><p>Marth slowly raised a hand to his head, trying to steady the cacophony of thoughts in his head "Naga … let this be a dream."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author's Notes/ Well there you go the first chapter. Once again, I am making a story based entirely on what happens when I don't bother to double-check facts before getting an idea. I know according to cannon Lucina should be around 18 or 19, but a simple misread of one of her lines has me assuming she's 12. Again I know this one's short, but it'll get longer. And yes, Marth is Luci's older brother in this fic. Also again sorry for the super long wait for this fic, I was stuck visiting family and didn't have access to a computer, but now that I'm back, I plan on kicking it into high gear. Also, there will probably be a lot of liberal uses of spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles, Persona 5, Fire Emblem Awakening, and maybe references to stuff that happens in Fire Emblem Fates. However, anyone who plays Smash or Fire Emblem Heroes will probably already know.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (7/13/2020)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Prison Break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>in the Depts of the Yiga hideout, Lucina finds an unlikely companion.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The floor was soft and irritating at the same time. Smooth stone hidden under small puddles of sand made the air close to the ground difficult to breathe.</p><p>It was with a dry and raspy cough that she awoke from her nap. Her body was sore, and there was a heavyweight on her ankle. She winced in the bright light of midday. The blazing sunlight reflected off the smooth sandstone walls.</p><p>She wasn't quite sure where she was, but if the dry air and small mounds of sand told her anything. She had somehow ended up in the desert. From what she had read of Hyrule, there was a desert, south of the capital; there was a vast desert ruled by the Gerudo.</p><p>Then she heard the sound of metal scraping against the stone and turned to stare directly into two piercing red orbs.</p>
<hr/><p>The hallway seemed far too small as he continued—his retainers leaning against the wall, as their gaze followed their King this way and that.</p><p>Ike turned to the woman on his right. "Shouldn't you help him calm down? Or something"</p><p>She shook her head and almost let out a sigh, "There's no helping him when he gets like this."</p><p>Ike turned back to his King pacing a hole in the floor. "Helpful."</p><p>She leaned against the wall like Ike was. "I'll just get him more irritated or anxious." she crossed her arms and tilted her head, "and I'm not willing to put His Majesty in the healers quarters as well."</p><p>Ike didn't turn his head but gave her a sideways glance and a smirk, "I mean … we're right here."</p><p>"Ike ..." her expression didn't change, but the way she had said it made him smile.</p><p>This time he turned his head, "You laughing or annoyed?"</p><p>"Both"</p><p>The door to the room opened, and a young Hylian woman stepped out, "He's awake and ready to see you all now."</p><p>Marth was the first to rush in, almost knocking the princess over in his rush. thankfully one of his retainers caught her, "sorry about that."</p><p>Roy himself was covered in bandages or at least from what they could see under his clothes, but aside from the medical wrappings, he seemed fine, albeit tired.</p><p>Marth was at the boy's side almost immediately, surprising even him. "Roy, Thank Naga, What happened?"</p><p>The immediate question surprised him, and he was left confusedly, staring at the King before realizing what he meant. "Bandits ambushed us," he adjusted himself slightly as if tossing the idea around in his head before adding, "well, I can only assume they were bandits."</p><p>Ike walked in last a lot more composed than his lord. "Tell us everything."</p><p>"Right" while Roy didn't seem too excited to discuss what happened to him, and all the eyes staring him down didn't seem to help his nerves. It was the Professor who rested a hand on the least injured part of him. It was comforting, and he could see why Lucina seemed to look up to her. He took a deep breath, "we were passing through Twin Peaks," he lowered his gaze, "and just as we were about to get out, two merchants stopped us. hoping we could help them find their way." he was trying to fight back anger "they said they needed to see our map."</p><p>"Then," Marth urged, Roy could see his frantic expression, he was usually so calm, this was something of the utmost importance.</p><p>"It all happened so quickly" that part was more so for himself than for the adults in the room "there was a poof of smoke and suddenly there were like five of them."</p><p>It was the Professor who spoke this time, but unlike Marth, her voice was soft and nurturing. "What did they look like?"</p><p>He studied his memories, trying to replay that moment in his mind slower and slower, trying to get a good look at his attackers.</p><p>"They were all dressed in red. Some had bows, others had these weird sickle things, and I thought I saw one with a spiked hoop like thing" Roy closed his eyes, trying desperately to remember everything. "oh right, they all had this weird white mask with an eye painted on it,"</p><p>he opened his eyes and could see Marth's eyes narrow, "but I think it was upside down with a tear or something …" he didn't know why he was trying to correct himself. Still, he felt panic seeing Marth so suspicious. Finally, he added, "I didn't get a good view of it before everything went dark."</p><p>"And Lucina?" Marth added abruptly</p><p>This confused Roy. "She was in the carriage …" suddenly, it dawned on him, "wait … don't tell me."</p><p>"She's missing," Ike added.</p><p>Marth seemed thoughtful, but the slight furrow of his brows told everyone what was crossing his mind "Eye symbols …"</p><p>It was Byleth who didn't let him continue, "You're Majesty, you're not implying ..." it was a challenge, and they all knew it.</p><p>It was Zelda who interrupted the stand-off. "Those sound like the Yiga," she looked concerned.</p><p>Ike turned to look at their Royal Host, "Yiga?"</p><p>She nodded, looking very concerned. "A splinter cell of the Sheikah Tribe," she snapped her fingers as if a thought had come to her. Still, her expression didn't change" they plot to take down the Hyrule Royal family and other sinister things."</p><p>Byleth turned her gaze from the King, but somehow it didn't feel like she lost, "Do you know where we can find them, your Grace?"</p><p>"I don't, personally, but" the princess smiled as a member of the Royal Guard opened the door. She turned to the newcomer with a smile. "Link be a dear and take them to the Yiga hideout" there was a sweetness in her voice, and he smiled and bowed.</p>
<hr/><p>There was a sharp snap echoing throughout the small cell, and suddenly the weight on her ankle was gone.</p><p>Lucina looked at her foot and back up at her cellmate. "th-Thank you."</p><p>It was now that she regarded the other person in the room. She was a young woman, far older than Lucina, but probably not yet past her mid-twenties. She was tall and thin, but she gave off a feral aura. She had long, wavy white, almost silver hair with eyes a deep red. Her ears were pointed at the tips proving she wasn't entirely human. And judging by the way she snapped the chain around her ankle confirmed as much. The state of her clothing only told Luci that her captors didn't care.</p><p>"Don't worry about it," the mystery girl said, swatting the broken chain away. "I know it can get annoying at times," she stretched, unintentionally showing off her severed ankle restraint.</p><p>Lucina regarded her with an amused curiosity. "Right." despite being trapped in a jail cell, she seemed to be pretty comfortable.</p><p>The other girl stared at Luci for a moment before asking, "Are you hungry?" she peered out the bars "they should be bringing food in by sundown, I hope you like bananas."</p><p>Lucina cocked her head to the side and stared before finally asking, "how long have you been here?"</p><p>The question seemed to catch her off guard "me? Ummm well ..." she looked thoughtful but more confused "my whole life, I think," she turned to the scratched up wall that held tiny scratch marks, "can't really remember anything else."</p><p>"That's terrible."</p><p>"I guess," her confusion seemed to intensify. "they've been trying to sell me but keep bringing down the price" she brought a hand up to her face and rested it under her chin "wonder why?"</p><p>Lucina shook her head and stood, finally getting her bearings on the situation. She didn't like the idea of being stuck in a foreign county with not much to do. The princess approached the door and studied the lock in detail. It was a simple lock, far more straightforward than the ones she had used for training. This would be easy.</p><p>She reached into her hair and only found one of what she needed. She grimaced and turned to her new friend. "Hey uh …" then it had dawned on her she didn't know her cellmate's name "do you have a name?" while it felt like a rude question, there was still the chance that as a product always on sale, her friend probably wasn't given a name.</p><p>"Oh right, Ummm," she scratched her scalp before speaking, "Corrin ... I think"</p><p>"Well, Corrin, do you … by chance," it felt awkward asking a new buddy for favors so early into their relationship, but with a shuffle of her feet, she finished "have a hairpin?"</p><p>Corrin tilted her head to the side, "Pin?"</p><p>Lucina reached into her hair and pulled out the small thin metal object "It looks like this"</p><p>"Oh … I think so" Corrin reached into her hair and pulled out the small thin hairpin that she had toyed with from time to time "how come?" she handed it to Lucina, who beamed upon seeing it. Corrin watched as the young girl strolled up to the locked door and started fiddling with something.</p><p>Then there was a snap, followed by a sudden dull clang as the lock fell off the door and into a soft pile of sand. "We're getting out of here" the lock was child's play. Lucina found a strange sense of satisfaction, knowing her Professor had put time into teaching her the right things. "Follow me."</p><p>Lucina kept her back to the walls, making sure Corrin wasn't too far behind. She peeked her head out from behind a corner and winced. There were a lot of guards, and they all seemed to be patrolling diligently.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Corrin peeked her head out as well and swallowed. Her eyes wide, and she started trembling slightly.</p><p>"We're boxed in," Luci quietly mumbled to herself. She had thought about the drills Byleth had her do back at the castle.</p><p>"if only we had a map," she wasn't aware of Corin's panicked breathing until the light from a torch was directly pointed at them.</p><p>"The Prisoners have escaped!" one of the bigger men in masks called out, and suddenly there were many of them. The smaller archers were perched on small ledges that she missed. And more of the larger men emerged from the hallways. Luci swallowed and turned to leave, grabbing Corrin's arm.</p><p>"Corrin," she called, tugging on the woman's arm. "Come on," it wasn't until now that she noticed the sporadic look in her eyes, her breaking, and the way she reminded her of a cornered animal.</p><p>"Corrin?" it was then that she realized something else. Corrin's skin was seething. There was a primal fear in her eyes, and Lucina could sense a tension she hadn't noticed until now.</p><p>The guards took steps closer, and Corrin crouched down and clutched her head. She was mumbling something, incomprehensible, was she rambling or could Lucina just not hear her. Then there was a feeling in the air, a burning aura that seemed to ooze from the ground beneath them.</p><p>In what was almost like magical flames engulfed the young woman, and they spread in almost a whirlpool-like manner. They expanded, and when they drifted away, something stood in Corrin's place.</p><p>It was a massive beast, twice the size of a warhorse. It was covered in plating that almost resembles armor, but had Lucina known better. There was a dark plating cover in the front of its head, shielding its eyes. It had large antler-like horns and talon-like claws and enormous wings.</p><p>The creature stared down the guards and roared, and while Lucina hadn't seen this kind of being, she knew the roar of a dragon when she heard one.</p><p>Luci, either of panic or fear, didn't step away but took hold of one of the creature's massive wings and climbed on, clinging to her friend. If Corrin took the issue to this, she didn't seem to show it.</p><p>And when one of the guards took a shot at the beast. Corrin had found the strength to use her legs and bolted through the guards.</p><p>"Corrin Wait!" Luci tried to calm her friend but found that if Corrin could hear her, she was probably running on instinct alone. She gave a tug, and as if responding to it, Corrin turned. The two found themselves outside the same colored walls of the labyrinth. Outlined in the light of the setting sun, they were free from their prison, but Corrin didn't stop.</p><p>Lucina clung to Corrin as she felt them drop, she heard the wind roar out all around them as they plummeted downwards, but Corrin kept running. Luci watched what she only assumed was Gerudo City dart pass, and Corrin kept running. Wherever Corrin was going, it was the opposite way of Hyrule capital.</p>
<hr/><p>The Moon illuminated the labyrinth in its pale light as the night brought with it a guest. A hooded figure ghosted along the sandy floor of the desert and into the maze. It loomed over the first Yiga it could find and speak. "Where's the girl?"</p><p>"Right … well about that" the yega straightened and turned back to its companions and swallowed before speaking</p><p>"She escaped," another one said; one of the larger Yega had stood by his friend's side "we saw her dart into the desert," he added, hoping that would convince their guest.</p><p>"And you didn't catch her," it wasn't a question; it was a challenge, demanding an explanation for what should have been an easy solution.</p><p>"Well …" the smaller one added, "We couldn't" they tried to sound more confident as if this didn't look like a complete failure "by the time we got outside, she was just a dot off in the distance."</p><p>They waited for their guest to answer them, they wanted him to scoff or insult them, but instead, he stood there and stared. They couldn't see his expression underneath his hood.</p><p>The air became ice-cold as the shadows along the walls seemed to slither on their own. They had made an enemy, a very powerful enemy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ Well that'll be it for this chapter hope you enjoyed. Chapter three should be on its way. Also, from now on, I'll try to updating SoS Wednesdays, so keep your eyes peeled. As always, have a beautiful day, and stay safe.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (7/15/2020)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Into The Labyrinth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ike tried not to slump over. It wasn't even sunrise yet. The sky was a deep blue fading into the brighter blue of daylight.</p><p>It was way too early for adventuring. The ex-mercenary had agreed to come for Lucina. In truth, he was thankful he had a chance to get away from Marth. His king was jumping to conclusions, a terrible one at that. They were here to talk of peace, and with his father's paranoid words swimming through his head, he was on the precipice of making a mistake. Thank Gods Byleth had him on a leash.</p><p>He hated to think of it like that, but it was the truth. Byleth was willing to talk him down, Ike didn't like the idea of another war hitting Ylisse, but he wasn't into politics, and he wasn't to keen on developing a sudden interest. He didn't want another war, he didn't want to think about them trying to explain it all to Lucina. She was lucky to miss the pain of the last war, he didn't want to imagine something happening to Marth and trying to explain that too.</p><p>He was snapped out of his drowsy thoughts when they came to a sudden stop. The ground was soft sand, and they stood at the mouth of a canyon.</p><p>"This is the place?"</p><p>The warrior he knew as Link didn't say anything but merely shook his head. He drew out his bow and motioned for Ike to follow.</p><p>The path tapered out until they stood in front of groups of tiny statues. They had paper covering their faces. A small tapping noise caught Ike's attention. After looking up, he found long lines of string with small wooden boards with little clackers moving in the soft breeze giving off a soft clink every now and then.</p><p>Then they began to raddle.</p><p>There was a burst of smoke, and suddenly there were three enemy archers present. Link acted the fastest, having already knotted and arrow and let it fly before Ike was fully aware of the situation.</p><p>An arrow bounced off the armor of his shoulder guard before the enemy vanished into a cloud of smoke and reappeared a few paces away. Ike figured with one or two good swings from Ragnell would be enough. One of the archers had made the mistake of focusing on Link. The Yiga hadn't even seen Ike coming before it was too late, they didn't get back up. Meanwhile, Link had managed to incapacitate another. The third looked between the two swordsmen and before making a mad dash for the hideout.</p><p>Ike had enough of this already. Link rushed after the retreating figure while Ike tightened his grip on Ragnell. He channeled the energy of his blade into one strake and slammed it against the ground with a force he hadn't used since he moved to Ylisse. A shockwave ripped through the air, hurdling itself towards the escaping Yiga. When the two collided, the archer was flung a few feet forward, but thankfully they didn't immediately get back up.</p><p>Link began searching through his pouch, looking for something while Ike picked up their new captive. All they needed to know was Luci's location. Link then produced a coil of rope and tied up their new friend.</p><p>Ike grabbed them fully aware they where still contours. He pulled them up, so they stared face to mask. "Where is the Ylissan Princess" it was a question but sounded more like a demand.</p><p>Link rested a hand on Ike's shoulder, and the retainer lowered their guest. "Show us."</p><p>The Yiga looked from one man to the other and grumbled before walking. Link kept his weapon drawn as they walked.</p><p>It wasn't a quick walk, but as the sun hung midway through the sky, they arrived at the Labyrinth. As the massive stone structure came into view, Ike heard Link make a sound, he must have recognized this place.</p><p>The three entered the Labyrinth and could feel it. Despite being midday in the desert, it was freezing, far colder then the shade from the high walls should have allowed. Link could feel a chill not like being watched no, it was far more disturbing knowing that there was nothing watching. It was lifeless here, too empty to be natural.</p><p>Ike could feel the unnatural tension in the air, a feeling like all the life in this area was abruptly and painfully snuffed out. It was a feeling he couldn't forget, a feeling he hoped he would never feel again. Something very wrong had happened here.</p><p>It was the sound of metal hitting stone that snapped Ike out of his nightmarish memories. He realized it must have been Link who had split off from him after entering the maze.</p><p>The Knight was on the floor, it was clear he had fumbled backward and dropped his things. Ike followed his gaze.</p><p>Bodies</p><p>There was something off about them though, this wasn't the signs of a struggle, no, Ike had been on the battlefield, he knew what an even fight looked like. This, this wasn't a fight, this was a massacre.</p><p>Ike stared at the bodies before, he was used to seeing corpses on the battlefield. No, that wasn't what haunted his mind. What stuck in his mind wasn't what he saw but rather what wasn't there. It was the middle of the day, they were dead. There should have been a smell. They should have known what happened when stepping foot into the Labyrinth. You can't hide death, and yet, they didn't know.</p><p>Ike knew there was something wrong here, and he was also far too aware that he wasn't equipped to find out what that was. He turned to Link, "send for reinforcements, we need mages here" he turned back to the massacre "I'll look around the labyrinth for Lucina."</p>
<hr/><p>The heat was the first to greet her when she started to wake up. Then she opened her eyes, a terrible decision really, the light was blinding, and she clenched her eyes shut, hoping it would help the burning.</p><p>When had she fainted? Well, she assumed she fainted since she had little memory of lying down to take a nap.</p><p>The second thing she realized was that she was free, it was a delayed reaction. She opened her eyes and tried to get used to the bright light, fully content in not seeing anything for a moment before her eyes adjusted.</p><p>She sat up from her bed of soft, mildly bearable sand. She wasn't in her cell. She wasn't trapped behind bars. Then she heard shuffling behind her.</p><p>Turning around, she saw the young girl who was tossed into her cell yesterday. She was curled up beside a spring? Flower? Or some strange fusion of the two? The girl wasn't fully asleep as she sat up fully when she looked at her.</p><p>"Oh good, you're awake," she got up and stretched herself as if trying to loosen herself from a stiff and awkward nap.</p><p>Corrin stood up awkwardly at first but righted herself quickly "What happened?"</p><p>"We were running through the desert when you suddenly collapsed" she climbed onto a small mound of stone and splashed her face with water before righting herself again and walked up to Corrin.</p><p>"Thankfully, this was nearby" she made a motion with her arm, and Corrin realized they were under shade.</p><p>She looked up and looked around at the massive stone structure that surrounded them with giant ribs and a long enormous skull of a creature. She slowly realized that it wasn't stone, sturdy and gigantic that it was, but it wasn't stone but bone "thankfully, I managed to drag you under it before the sun rose" the girl's words snapped her out of her awe.</p><p>The two made eye contact before a look of realization crossed the girl's face, "Lucina."</p><p>Corrin tilted her head to the side in confusion, "What?"</p><p>"My name, it's Lucina," she smiled and then made an awkward curtsy. "I'm the Ylissan Princess."</p><p>Corrin smiled and answered automatically, "Nice to meet you, Lucina." Lucina was small, but she seemed healthy, and her eyes hid a sharp whit. She returned her gaze to their shelter. Seeing the tiny plants that grew under its protection Corrin was bleakly reminded of the heat, or rather that the temperature should be unbearable. Would she had died out in the sun's rays? Lucina, she had dragged her under shade before she had the chance to wither, not only had Lucina helped her not die of the heat but had also been the one to free her from her cage. She found her voice again "Thank you?"</p><p>Lucina only nodded before staring at Corrin for a long time. "Are you a manakete?"</p><p>"Manawho?"</p><p>Lucina smiled, "You know a manakete, the people who can turn into dragons."</p><p>"Oh … umm, I don't really know" in truth, she didn't know, her whole life trapped in that tiny cell, seeing people in other cages come in and out. But she had stayed.</p><p>Lucina shrugged, "I mean you would have to be, you did turn into a dragon."</p><p>"Did I?" the question was genuine. Corrin remembered them sneaking out of the cell. She remembered feeling trapped, and then everything else was a blur.</p><p>"Do you not remember?" Lucina looked worried.</p><p>"I do … it's just" Corrin shook her head "I'm not really sure what happened back there" her skin began to itch, a slow mounting pressure was starting to build.</p><p>"Well, umm," Luci looked up thoughtfully before smiling, "I know a manakete, maybe she can help you."</p><p>Corrin beamed, "That's great, where do we need to go?"</p><p>Lucina bit her lip "I'm… not really sure," she shifted from foot to foot. "I was headed to Hyrule castle town, but" there were tears of anger starting to well up in her eyes" those people, the ones who had you trapped, they kidnapped me. I don't really know where I am" she shook her head, and when she opened them again there was frustration written all over her face "I mean I know we're in the Gerudo desert and I know that way is West" she motioned to where the sun was starting its very long descent. Then she motioned in the opposite direction of the sun "that way is East, but that'll only take us back to those people, and I'm not too sure how far we are from the castle,</p><p>"I've seen maps, but they all seem to contradict each other "she clenched a fist "to make matters worse, I don't have a map on me, so it's not like I can take a guess."</p><p>Corrin tilted her head, "Maybe we should pick a direction and keep going," she had nothing to lose, so why not.</p><p>"Well," Luci loosened her grip and brought it chin "if we keep going, we're sure to find water, whether it be a river or the ocean" her eyes seemed to brighten, "but if we follow that, we may find a town."</p><p>Corrin smiled and motioned to a random direction Luci would later explain was south, "Let's head that way."</p><p>Luci smiled before tilting her head, "Can you turn back into a dragon? It might make crossing the desert easier."</p><p>"I can try" Corrin closed her eyes the panic that she had initially had eased up and the soft warmth did little to strike it up again. She closed her eyes tighter and focused. Then she could feel it a boiling feeling, a rising heat that began to claw its way through her veins. It climbed up her body searing her skin from within. She could feel the agonizing feeling engulf her body, but thankfully not her mind, not this time.</p><p>When she opened her eyes, she towered over Lucina, not quite reaching the bones above her, but they felt a lot closer then they did before.</p><p>She knelt down or felt like something akin to kneeling and felt a tug on her back or wings or something, and then a little weight was on her back. "Let's go."</p><p>Corrin stood and began to sprint south, far from the desert, and very far from Hyrule castle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ well, that was it for this chapter.<br/>Fun Fact: that sword beam thing is actually something Ike can do in his original game.<br/>I find it funny that it's not something really brought up in Smash and Fire Emblem Heroes makes a small reference to it, but the way it works in FEH and the way it works both of the Radiant games are entirely different. So if you do play FEH and wondered why Ike has a distance counter, that's why. Hope you enjoyed and I hope you see you all real soon.</p><p>~S.Rosey (7/19/2020)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. What Lingers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ike walked through the halls with purpose. A deep grimace on his face. The mages had arrived and had inspected the Labyrinth as instructed, and what they found didn't help things.</p><p>He entered the meeting room where the Professor and his King waited anxiously.</p><p>"Well?" Marth looked frantic</p><p>"Lucina wasn't at the Labyrinth," Ike started, "and to make matters worse, the place was empty" he looked uncomfortable as he added, "of anything living anyway."</p><p>Byleth tilted her head to the side, "But you called for reinforcements."</p><p>"I did" Ike shook his head "something didn't feel right" he presented a piece of parchment that was a report from the mages involved, "so I had the place investigated by mages."</p><p>"What did they find?"</p><p>He looked at the report again as if silently hoping it would be different. "There were traces of Dark magic on the bodies."</p><p>Marth leaned forwards and opened his mouth to say something before Byleth politely cut him off, "Don't."</p><p>Marth glared at her. "You can't act as if this isn't suspicious" he slammed a hand on the desk "first Luci goes missing, and the scene of the crime is crawling with dark magic, how can it not be Plegia."</p><p>Byleth crossed her arms, the lack of proper expression making her seem far more irritated then she was "With all due respect Your Highness, it would be wise of you to refrain from jumping to conclusions so soon."</p><p>Marth almost growled, "Well, what other kingdom is known for black magic."</p><p>Byleth lowered her arms and simply locked eyes with the king, "Just because Plegia has a specialty doesn't mean they are the only ones who can use it."</p><p>"Then, are you implying it's our guest?" Marth through his arms up "because there are only so many nations with mastery of magic."</p><p>Ike finally spoke up, "You're Highness, Byleth has a point" he took his seat at the table before leaning back into his chair "we're on the brink of war; allegations like this would only get us there faster."</p><p>Byleth spoke again, but her tone was much softer as if she were pleading with him, "Ylisse can't handle another war."</p><p>"I know that," the first part was said in frustration as he put his heads on either side of his head. whispering, he added, "But Luci."</p><p>Byleth patted his arm lightly before looking thoughtful. "The thing that strikes me as odd is why would they kidnap her."</p><p>Marth didn't look up; he simply continued to clutch at his hair in frustration, "probably to hold her for ransom for the ..."</p><p>Ike shook his head with a sigh, "Not this again."</p><p>Byleth only had a rough idea of what they were talking about "The Fire Emblem?"</p><p>Marth lowered his arms but didn't look up "My family has guarded that thing for years, and it was rumored that the Grimleal wanted it."</p><p>The Professor tilted her head to the side "Rumors are just that, no?"</p><p>"They certainly were enough for the old king" Ike sighed "the way the story goes, a rumor got around that a Plegian group known as the Grimleal were planning on getting their hands on the Fire Emblem to revive some ancient god long forgotten by history" he shook his head before adding "the old king panicked, and soon soldiers marched over the Ylissean-Plegian border, and the war began"</p><p>"Mom wasn't there to talk him out of it," Marth looked heartbroken as he spoke, "and I was unable to get through to him."</p><p>Ike crossed his arms "You went through hell and back to put an end to it" he already know the answer to his question before asking it, but it wasn't really a question "do you really wanna undo all that?" it was a painful reminder of their standing.</p><p>"No," Marth finally looked up to meet the eyes of his retainers. "I suppose that would be a terrible idea," there was a faint smile before he looked somber again "it's just … when I think about what could have happened to her."</p><p>"Ike, did you find where she was held?" there was a fire in her eyes.</p><p>"Yeah, the lock was tossed off at the foot of the door" Ike regarded her question a bit confused.</p><p>"Was there any sign of magic there?"</p><p>"No," Ike unfolded his arms as it slowly dawned on him of another possibility.</p><p>"Were there signs of a struggle?" she was looking directly at him now as if the next thing that came out of his mouth would make or break her suspicions.</p><p>"Kinda," He thought back to the scene "there was a massacre," he added but realized the faint truth behind her silent proposition, "but no drag marks if that's what you're asking."</p><p>She looked at Marth now a determined look burning behind her eyes "She could have escaped."</p><p>Marth could feel her resolve in that stare. "Don't get my hopes up."</p><p>"I taught her well" the corners of the Professor's mouth turned up in what was probably her attempt at a smile or smirk "there is still a chance."</p><p>Marth didn't realize his heart was pounding, he closed his eyes and rested his hand over his brand hidden over his heart. Then in a soft, silent prayer to his Divine, he whispered: "By Naga, I hope you're right."</p><hr/><p>Lucina gazed up at the sky from Corrin's back. It was darkening, once bright blue sunlight-filled sky had now shifted into the soft orange of dusk. The dry air of the desert seemed less aggressive, and it wasn't until Corrin had stopped that she realized they had finally left the desert.</p><p>Corrin bent her head down and drank from the shallow stream. Lucina sliding off her back. The ride wasn't comfortable by any means, but it had gotten them out of the desert in record time. Thankful, they had shaved a few long scolding days and freezing nights trudging through the temperamental environment that was the desert.</p><p>Lucina splashed her face "we can follow the river. I'm sure it'll eventually lead us into a town."</p><p>She stretched and turned to her draconic friend. "It would probably benefit us if you returned to your human form" she smiled and, with a playful smile, added, "we don't want you to destroy every tree on our way here."</p><p>Corrin raised her head and tried to concentrate. She closed her eyes and focused. The gentle sounds of the wind and the flowing river seemed to soothe something inside her. A fierce cold shot through her, but despite the surge of the cold, her blood still boiled. It was another raw serge, and she opened her eyes. The grass was closer, the river was more massive, and she felt like she was on fire. She turned to Lucina, "Did … did it work?"</p><p>Lucina just stared in wide-eyed awe "Amazing" she then went to help her friend when something caught her eye. "uh Corrin?" she pointed at something behind her companion.</p><p>"Yeah?" Corrin followed her finger and looked at the ground behind her, and there lay a long scaly thing.</p><p>Lucina smiled. "I don't think that's supposed to stick out like that" she had thought of the Oracle then. How her transformations left the young Princess wondering where the extra body parts like the wings and tail had vanished.</p><p>Corrin stared down at her tail "How do I get rid of it?"</p><p>Lucina could only shrug, "I'm not too sure." Perhaps it was a skill that needed to be mastered, and if Corrin had spent her whole life in that Labyrinth and when they escaped truly was the first time she had used that power, it would stand to believe that someone more experienced could help. But for now, the question arose on whether people would react negatively to it "when we get into town, I'll get you a cloak to hide it."</p><p>Corrin gazed at her tail for a moment before standing, "Thank you."</p><p>"Come on," Luci smiled, and the two began to follow the river in hopes of finding civilization.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ thank you for making it through another chapter. Originally Chapters 3 and 4 were the same, but when I started to worry about not being able to make deadlines, I split in two, I hope you don't mind. Anyways Corrin having a tail is actually something from Fire Emblem Heroes; it kinda captures the feel I'm going for with her. Anyways hope you enjoyed</p><p>~ S. Rosey (7/21/2020)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Trickster and The Visionary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The breakfast rush had finally settled down. A young man cleaned up a nearby table while his peppy colleague chipperly waved goodbye to the last patron for the morning.</p><p>She turned to him and, with a warm smile, motioned to the table, "Be a dear and clean gather the dishes, I'm going to go work on Lunch."</p><p>He tilted his head to the side "So early?" they had just finished the Morning rush they had at least a few hours before lunch. However, the look she shot him had him stuttering to cover his tracks "well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be great as always."</p><p>"Uh-huh" she shot him an unconvinced stare before she smiled as she recognized his awkward use of flattery "you're just hoping praise will help get you out of waiting tables again, aren't you?"</p><p>He pouted, realizing she had caught him, he wasn't going to be able to sneak off to the library again. "I mean Akira works here too" he hoped the mention of the new employee would help his odds.</p><p>"He's more of a guest" she shot him the most playful grin he had ever seen this week before placing an empty plate in his hand "now go on. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."</p><p>"Alright," he sighed as she walked away. He began to stack the plates and started walking after her.</p><p>His grip on the dishes loosened as a sharp pain shot through his head, and a bright light enveloped his vision. Colors danced before his eyes, unheard screams and mass panic short through the sight before him. When he came back to reality, he realized he had lost his grip on the dishes but hadn't heard a crash.</p><p>He looked down and saw his new friend. His cheeky smirk crossed his features as he held up the stack of plates. He balanced the dishes on one hand as he adjusted his glasses with the other. "Still sleepy, Shulk?"</p><p>It took him a moment before he could gather his thoughts, "uh no."</p><p>His playful smirk started to fade slightly. "You don't sound too sure."</p><p>Shulk stared at the dishes and then back at his friend, "Akira … when did you?"</p><p>Akira set the stack on the counter beside them. "I was walking by, and you just stopped and dropped everything" he dropped his smile altogether "you okay?" the two locked eyes, and slowly, his eyes widened. "Don't tell me."</p><p>Shulk looked uncomfortable and looked around from his periphery. "Can we not talk about this here" he motioned lightly to the room they were sharing.</p><p>The two stepped inside, and Akira closed the door before turning the blonde "Alright, did you have another vision?" this he said with the utmost seriousness.</p><p>"I did," Shulk then concentrated, trying to piece the images together into a fluent memory. "I need you to go to Townsquare now."</p><p>Akira nodded as the two exited the bedroom and headed towards the front door "What do I look for?"</p><p>"Two girls," Shulk opened the door and almost shoved Akira out "blue and white, Hurry," and with that shove, Akira broke out into a sprint vanishing from sight rather quickly. Shulk closed the door and turned back to the dishes he needed to stack again.</p><hr/><p>They had trudged all night and continued through the dense brush until they finally reached the town just after sunrise. Lucina looked around, squinting hard before spotting something. It was an awkward tarp that had gotten stuck floating downstream. Lucina picked it up and grimaced before looking to her new friend, "it's not pretty, but it should work until we get you a real cloak."</p><p>She helped Corrin drape it around her shoulders, thankful that it covered her tail, or at least made it less noticeable. Corrin sighed in relief; her blood had continued to boil as they had walked, and the touch of the cold, wet cloth was a godsend.</p><p>"I hope it's not too uncomfortable," Lucina said, managing to adjust it just right.</p><p>"It's wonderful," Corrin smiled, "thank you."</p><p>The two walked into town. Lucina suddenly became aware of how odd they must have looked, a young woman dressed in rags, and a little girl while dressed well was also slightly dirty. The second thing she realized was she didn't have any coins.</p><p>"Maybe we can find a city guard or something" Luci crossed her fingers. The strange accent of the people told her while she was close to Hyrule, she wasn't in the Kingdom of Legends anymore.</p><p>She finally approached one of the nearby vendors, and awkwardly caught his attention. "Um pardon me, Sir," he turned a bit aggravated at first, but seeing it was a child he let it side.</p><p>"What do ya need little miss" he leaned over his counter to meet her eye better</p><p>"Where in Hyrule are we?" she tried not to look completely helpless, she hoped they hadn't strayed too far from the Capital.</p><p>"Hyrule?" he let out a hardy laugh before patting her head "Hyrule is more up North" he jabbed his thumb out in the direction Luci had just come from</p><p>"Then um," she swallowed, trying not to panic "by chance where are we exactly" to the best of her knowledge there weren't supposed to be any other kingdoms on this continent aside from Hyrule.</p><p>He sat up and made a grand sweeping motion. "This is a little Colony called Mira," he leaned against his arm and chuckled, "well, not so little anymore."</p><p>A Colony, of course, a colony was under the rule of none, but those who lived in it meaning that they wouldn't find a town guard who knew who she was, and worse was she hadn't even known of this place, to begin with, meaning she had no idea the lay of the land or where they could go. With no local lords to send word of her location, she was stuck "Umm, how exactly can I get back to Hyrule."</p><p>The man scratched his chin. "Well, you could head up North through the Desert," he chuckled when he saw the grimace on her face, "or you could head more down south and take a ship."</p><p>A ship. Well, that was a possibility. Lucina knew Hyrule had a harbor town. It was where she and Roy had landed when they first arrived. Roy, she hadn't thought of him since the kidnapping, guilt filling her gut. She shook her head and tried to smile through her depressing thoughts, "I see, well, thank you for your help."</p><p>She walked over to Corrin, who had somehow made friends. However, the closer Luci got, the more she could register the panic and nervous expression on her companion's face. Corrin noticed her and moved to run off towards her when one of the men surrounding her grabbed her wrist.</p><p>Lucina could see the trapped animal look that slowly started to pool in Corrin's crimson eyes. "Leave her alone" she rushed to Corrin's side and began to tug in the hope of helping her get free. She knew Corrin couldn't transform; not here, not now, not with so many people nearby.</p><p>"Stay out of this brat" he made to swing at her, but she duked managing to dodge just in time.</p><p>Panic was beginning to build in her stomach, and judging by the torch of Corin's arm, she was panicking too. She needed to change her tactics; she had to.</p><p>"Unhand her," the voice was even in a warning tone, and the man looked frightened and let Corrin go. Luci was quick to take her friend's hand in hopes of calming her down.</p><p>The large man held up his hand, an aggravated fear plastered all over his face.</p><p>"Now turn around and walk away," the man did turn around but drew his weapon. Lucina took her eyes off Corrin but didn't let her go. She started to pat her hand gently in hopes of it would help.</p><p>The large man ran forward to attack someone who had been standing behind him, a young man. He had frizzy black hair and a mischievous grin. She assumed he disarmed his opponent because the large man didn't have it anymore. Then the young man tossed something off to the side. She figured it was the weapon because the bigger man ran off and didn't turn back. Their frizzy-haired hero then dusted himself off before turning to face the two travelers. "You two okay?" he adjusted his glasses and approached them but kept his distance, and Lucina could only assume it was so he didn't scare Corrin.</p><p>"I'm alright" Lucina then looked up at "Corrin, what about you?"</p><p>"I'm," Corrin had started to calm herself, but while her blood had cooled only slightly, she seemed more relaxed, "okay."</p><p>"That's good to hear," he adjusted the yellow scarf around his neck before adding, "so were you off to? Princess."</p><p>"Princess?" there was hope in Lucina's eyes, although she played it off as a questioning stare.</p><p>"Just taking a shot in the dark," he said this, but his eyes weren't looking at her but rather the space just above her face. Her tiara, she realized. He smiled and turned to leave "see a friend of mine said someone in town square might need some help" he tucked the dagger back into his vest where she assumed he hid it's sheath "I just figured it was you two."</p><p>It was possible that while there was no real nobility in this colony, there was still a chance a high ranking merchant may have heard of her disappearance "Can we see this friend?"</p><p>He looked back, smirked, and then waited for the two girls to approach him. "Sure thing, just follow me," and just as they were a step behind him, he began to walk.</p><hr/><p>It was a wonder the hard wooden floors didn't have a groove for where he paced. He wasn't mumbling to himself this time, but he did seem far more distracted than usual. The bartender stared at him before he and the cook locked eyes and nodded. He cleared his throat, but with the young man refused to stop, he spoke. "Shulk"</p><p>He almost yipped as he jumped and faced the bartender, "Uh, yes."</p><p>"What's wrong this time?" the man leaned against the bar while the young cook crossed her arms.</p><p>"Wrong? no, nothing wrong" there was a dazed quality to his words that told the other two he was lying</p><p>The cook sighed heavily before adding, "Shulk, this isn't like you."</p><p>"I'm fine, Fiora," he said, but the distracted look in his eyes told them everything they needed</p><p>The bartender gave him a half-lidded stare, "You know you're not a very good lier, Shulk."</p><p>Shulk looked as if he were balancing between two emotions "Dunban, please."</p><p>"You're doing that thing again" Fiora stepped out from behind the bar where her brother stood and approached him with a concerned look washing over her face "did something happen?"</p><p>"It's… complicated" he didn't look at either of them when he said it, but he felt terrible all the same.</p><p>The twin doors slammed open as Akira entered, "I'm back."</p><p>"You're okay," a look of relief crossed Shulk's face as he approached the group.</p><p>"And I brought friends" Akira stepped aside and motioned to the two girls beside him.</p><p>"Shulk?" Fiora was the one who spoke but judging by the look of her brother it was clear he was about to ask the same thing</p><p>"Welcome to Colony 9, best Inn in Mira" Shulk didn't look at the two at the bar. Instead, he outstretched his arms, making a big show of the bar, or was he trying to change the subject.</p><p>Lucina tilted her head to one side as she took in the establishment "What's going on?"</p><p>Dunban shook his head. "I'm guessing Shulk here," he made a motion to the young blonde man, timidly twiddling his thumbs, "saw something and had you dragged in here by Akira" at that he indicated the frizzy-haired one beside them.</p><p>Fiora gave them her warmest smile "Don't worry about it, he does this all the time" she then smirked at Akira as she added, "keeps bringing in weirdos." Akira feigned shock and hurt as he recoiled overdramatically.</p><p>Fiora then approached the group. She took in their condition and shook her head. "You two look like you've had a rough trip."</p><p>Dunban smiled "Make yourselves at home, don't worry about paying"</p><p>Lucina looked from the cook to the bartender. "Ummm, thank you."</p><p>Dunban then turned his attention to the boys, "Shulk, show them to their room."</p><p>"Right" Shulk then turned to leave, "follow me."</p><p>The group walked up a flight of stairs before walking through a hallway. Shulk stopped at one of the doors and opened it with a key. After letting them into the room, the two young men stepped in and locked it behind them.</p><p>Shulk took in a deep breath, "Well, I suppose you have a lot of questions."</p><p>"Yeah, we do" Corrin seemed a bit more protective as she gently tucked Lucina behind her.</p><p>Shulk swallowed his fear and spoke, "this may sound crazy" he took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself, "but I… can see the future."</p><p>The two girls looked at him oddly, and Akira joined in. "Trust me, I know, it sounds crazy, but Shulk isn't lying" he took off his glasses, and "his visions saved my life."</p><p>Shulk focused on Lucina. "You're a princess, yes?"</p><p>Lucina frowned. "Was it the Tiara?"</p><p>Shulk shook his head "It's the mark in your eye."</p><p>Her eyes went wide as she stepped out from behind Corrin, "You recognize the Mark of The Exalt?" this was new as Marth and Tiki had both warned her that people outside of Ylisse might not recognize her and thus she should be wary.</p><p>"I do" Shulk looked down and began to fidget with the thing around his neck "don't ask how I know. I just do" there was a somber tone in his voice as he spoke.</p><p>Akira patted Shulk hoping it would snap him out of his thoughts, he smiled at the other two "Fiora is probably getting both lunch and a bath started for both of you."</p><p>Lucina shook her head, "We don't have money to pay."</p><p>Akira's smile turned into a playful smirk as he added, "What part of 'don't worry about paying' told you they expected money."</p><p>Lucina searched the boy's eyes for any hit of a cruel joke but found none, she smiled "You're too kind."</p><p>"They are" Shulk had finally snapped out of his dark thoughts and looked pensive before adding, "I assume you're heading to Hyrule capital."</p><p>"Yes," Lucina almost bounced. "I shouldn't ask how you know, should I?"</p><p>Shulk beamed at that "Exactly" he then turned to Akira "there is a harbor town just south of here, it'll take a few days by foot, but it shouldn't take more than a few days" the other nodded before looking at the two girls' confused faces.</p><p>Akira then sighed and clarified, "I think what he's trying to say is we'll help you get there and find a boat back to whoever is waiting for you in Hyrule Castle Town."</p><p>"Thank you."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ well hope you enjoyed I'm getting really excited for the chapters to come. I know Akira Kurusu isn't the so-called canon name anymore, but I like it better, so I'm using it instead.<br/>Secondly calling the colony Mira was Wolfy's idea, it's supposed to be a reference to Xenoblade Chronicles X. Also, the idea of Shulk, Fiora, and Dunban are all working at a bar called Colony 9 was Wolfy's idea too. Yeah, Wolfy or (Wolfdude16) was and is a massive help in both this story's creation and execution. Well, hope you have an excellent day.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (7/24/2020)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Bandit Brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Corrin sighed in relief as the sudden difference between the hot bath and the simple room made it feel like a rush of cold air, if only for a moment.</p><p>It was when the door opened that she almost jumped out of her skin. It was the young cook who had entered so abruptly, "I'm sorry" she turned her back to Corrin as she held out a soft cloth "dry yourself off" despite handing it to her, she seemed to keep her eyes at the ground.</p><p>Corrin took the soft cloth and did as was asked before looking around. Only to realize that what she had considered clothes had not been where she had left them. When Corrin took it from her, she opened the door to grab something before entering again. "In regards to your old clothes," the cook almost seemed to read her mind.</p><p>"They kinda … fell apart," she began to fidget with her fingers, "but I think I may have something that fits you" she met Corrin's eyes again and shyly held out a smell dress "if it's not too big a deal."</p><p>Corrin wasn't too attached to her old clothes and figured that the cloak would be dry by now, meaning it wouldn't be as cold as she had licked it. "It's okay," she stared down at the bundle of colorful cloth. It was a lovely assortment of white clothes. "They're lovely," she took a breath and stared back at the cook "are you sure this is okay?"</p><p>"Oh, trust me, you'll get more use out of it then I do" she beamed "do you need help putting it on?"</p><p>Corrin unraveled the stunning white dress out and took a good look at it. A soft and shy smile crossed her face as she added "I think I might"</p><hr/><p>Dunban leaned against the entrance to the small room. He knew this time would come, but seeing it didn't soften the blow. He waited until Shulk had started weighing his books, seeing which ones he would take with him and which ones he would leave, to knock on the door, signaling his presence.</p><p>The young man almost jumped when he heard the knocking on his open door. "Dunban, how long have you been standing there?"</p><p>"Long enough," the older man stepped inside and overlooked the packed travel supplies, "so you're finally going to do it?"</p><p>Shulk looked down at the floor before putting a book into the packed bag. "I have to" he closed the bag and opened the closet door to reveal a strange-looking red blade. He pulled it out and held it in both hands gazed at it before continuing "I can't quite tell you how I know these are the ones" he swung the sizeable red thing over his shoulder and somehow clipped it so that it stayed on his back "but, I just do</p><p>Dunban stared at the young man who had stayed in their home for years before his soft smile turned into a knowing smirk. "Have you told Fiora yet?"</p><p>There was a panicked look in his eyes before he added, "Not yet," he rubbed at the back of his neck. "She would freak out about it," the last part he said with a smile, "go on about how I'm too delicate."</p><p>Dunban shook his head. "I'm not telling her for you, and I don't think Akira is crazy enough to do it for you."</p><p>"I know," he began to fidget with the thing around his neck before he shook his head and turned to get something from the nearby desk, "but I need to go on this quest" he stared at the leatherbound journal, both the spine and clasp showing years of consecutive use.</p><p>There was a sense of pity that lingered in the old soldier's heart as he looked at his young ward; the boy needed to find answers to the questions he had been trying to answer himself for years. "So this is about that" he didn't mean the strange weapon or the old journal.</p><p>Shulk knew he wasn't staring at his notebook or the blade he had been studying his whole life. He knew what he meant by <em>that</em>. "In a way, I suppose it might be" he didn't like to acknowledge it, the fact that this mystery had consumed his life. Every trip to the library, every book he ever read, all in a vague quest to find the knowledge to answer this question. He shook his head, trying to clear that depressing thought, "I'll tell Fiora."</p><p>"Tell Fiora what?" that had surprised both of them; they hadn't expected the young cook to come to call them as it was far too soon for dinner.</p><p>"Fiora!" Shulk began to stammer "I… um … I was going to ..."</p><p>"Shulk and I are going to help out those two girls get back home," the voice came from behind the cook. The so-called new employee was leaning against the wall of the hallway; how long he had been standing there? None of them knew. "the older one looks confused, and the girl is just a kid" he stood up and walked into the room, pulling in the young cook just before closing the door behind them. When he turned back he was wearing his usual mischievous grin "can't quite leave them on their own can we"</p><p>"Shulk, is this true?" Fiora knew Akira wouldn't lie about something so important, but she needed to know who's plan was this.</p><p>"It is," Shulk sighed. He approached his childhood friend, "I know what you're going to say, but know that I have to do this" it was difficult to tell her why. But judging by the look on her face, maybe she already knew.</p><p>"I understand," she smiles. She turned to Akira, and with a dangerous glare she added: "you better take care of him-"</p><p>He cut her off. "He's delicate," he smirked as he added, "I know."</p><p>Fiora gave Akira a nod before turning to Shulk and giving him a tight hug. "Take care."</p><p>Shulk chuckled as he pulled away from the hug "we're leaving tomorrow morning, to avoid traveling by night, so" there was a sad quality to his smile. "We can still enjoy tonight's dinner, right?"</p><p>Fiora smiled. "I guess I did promise your new friends dinner."</p><p>"Speaking of dinner," Akira turned to Dunban, "don't you need three people to run this place smoothly?"</p><p>Dunban grinned, but there was something dangerous there. As if some sort of revenge had finally made itself apparent, "oh, don't worry, Son," he turned and stared at the door. "I think it's about time the owner finally started doing some work around here."</p><p>Shulk watched Dunban stroll out of the room and knew full well what would happen after he left. "I'm so sorry, Rikki," he whispered.</p><hr/><p>The next morning the four said their goodbyes. Corrin gave Fiora the tightest hug after thanking her a million times for the new outfit. Lucina, thankful for the bath and the dinner more than anything, had vowed to pay them back when she had the chance. Before Shulk and Akira gave their thanks and sorrowful goodbyes before beginning to lead the way further south to the harbor town.</p><p>However, as they left the safety of Shulk's childhood home, they failed to notice two pairs of eyes watching them go with malicious interest.</p><hr/><p>Akira was hunched over Shulk's shoulder as they peered at the map. "Despite making great time," he looked over his shoulder at the two girls, "we may need to camp out tonight" he folded the map and tucked it back into his vest. "Although if we start to move before sunrise, we should make it to the next town by sundown."</p><p>"Well, that's good" Lucina noted that she had been on the road for about a week, and the sooner she could get back to her brother, the better.</p><p>The rest of the day's travel went well, and as the sun started to set, it was the Shulk who marked their resting spot, and so the group began setting up camp. The packed food was enough to get them through the night, and the team separated into two tents.</p><p>"I'll take the first watch" Akira noted and as he was going to motion to Shulk Corrin interjected</p><p>"Let me do the next one."</p><p>Shulk looked puzzled, "Are you sure?"</p><p>Corrin pouted, "Just let me help" she shyly began to play with the ribbon on her dress as she averted their gazes "you two have been so kind to us it's the least I can do."</p><p>Shulk shook his head the determined look in her crimson orbs telling him there was no point in arguing this "Well if you're sure about this"</p><p>"I am" she nodded</p><p>Shulk stood at the mouth of the tent before turning to stare at the young woman, a troubled look darting through his gaze. "Alright, good luck."</p><p>She turned to Akira, "wake me up when you're ready. " She gave them the sweetest smile she could muster.</p><p>He gave her an amused smile and nodded as she walked into her tent, Luci right behind her.</p><hr/><p>He rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes, and stepped into the tent, and gently shook Corrin awake "Corrin."</p><p>Much to his surprise, she woke up relatively quickly. "Akira?" she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, "is it my shift already?"</p><p>"Yeah," he smiled as she started to get out of her makeshift bed, her lack of blankets struck him as a little odd, but he tossed that observation aside "if you hear anything suspicious, wake Shulk and me up" he smiled "shouldn't take much."</p><p>"Will do," she beamed at him as he turned and exited her tent.</p><p>He stepped into his tent and found Shulk had still been awake. "Can't sleep?" Akira plopped down on his makeshift bed and removed his glasses. "If I knew you would have difficulty sleeping, I would have sent you on the first watch," but when his companion didn't laugh, he dared ask, "alright, spill it what's got you all shaken up this time?"</p><p>Shulk turned to face his friend, "I'm having second thoughts."</p><p>"You wanna go back to the inn already?" Akira put his hands behind his head</p><p>"Actually," Shulk rolled onto his back and began to fidget with something, Akira already knew what it was without looking at it. "I was thinking about going all the way to the capital with them."</p><p>"Really?" there was something in Akira's voice that was slightly hopeful "it's funny you bring it up" he pulled one hand out and began to tug at the scarf still around his neck. "I was planning on going with them … for safety," there was hesitation in his voice at that last part, but if Shulk noticed, he didn't remark on it.</p><p>"Well, guess that settles it," Shulk chuckled sleepily "guess I have to come, you'll probably get yourself into trouble without someone to keep you in line."</p><p>Akira didn't laugh; instead, he clutched at the scarf around his neck. Shulk winced and turned to face Akira "hey," The other boy gave him a sideways glance before Shulk continued, "want me to try again?"</p><p>Akira tilted his head this time and sighed. He reached into his vest and pulled out a small key and handed it to the scholar. He wasn't looking at Shulk when he added "don't ask where it came from"</p><p>Shulk took the small key into his hand. He clenched it tightly and closed his eyes—distant voices that made no sense, soft and distorted. Colors and faces were darting by with no real rhyme or reason. However, there was something he did see clearly, chains. "No use," he sighed and handed the key back to his friend. "I keep seeing nothing but chains."</p><p>"Thought so," Akira tucked the key back into its little hiding spot.</p><p>"Are you ever going to tell me what you did?" Shulk looked at his friend only to see his frizzy-haired companion had turned his back to him.</p><p>"Good Night, Shulk" he didn't dare continue, and so he rolled over, turning his own back to Akira and resigned himself to trying to sleep. This time, however, he found it.</p><hr/><p>Corrin was a good way through her watch when she heard something. She turned around sudden panic, vanishing when she found Lucina crawling out of their tent, sleepy yet awake.</p><p>"Luci, is something wrong?" Corrin watched her little friend approach her, and so she made room for her by the fire.</p><p>The girl took her spot closer to the fire, "I couldn't sleep."</p><p>Corrin smiled and patted the girl's head, "Want to talk about it?"</p><p>Lucina hugged her legs and stared at the fire, "Maybe."</p><p>Corrin scooted closer to her little friend to signal she was paying attention, "What's on your mind?"</p><p>Lucina wore such a lost and somber expression as she gazed into the roaring embers. "I'm worried about Marth."</p><p>"Marth?" Corrin tilted her head to the side.</p><p>"Oh right," Lucina looked back at her friend and chuckled at her confused expression. "Marth's my older brother. He's the current Exult" when she noticed Corrin's face stay the same. She elaborated, "that's what we call the ruler of Ylisse."</p><p>Corrin nodded and smiled. "So what about him has you all shaken up?"</p><p>"Well," Luci looked back at the fire and lowered her knees. "I'm worried about his mission," she began to fiddle with one of the frills of her dress.</p><p>"see, he was on a trip to try and make deals with our neighbors, the kingdom West of us, Plegia." there was a gentle darkness that fell over her face, a strange melancholic aura that surprised Corrin.</p><p>"it was a really important trip, see our dad almost destroyed them in a war, and we were hoping to become friends with them and help make up for his mistakes."</p><p>"Okay?" Corrin was at a loss for words; she had never seen Lucina so serious.</p><p>"Right," Lucina shook her head, and her mood seemed to lighten just a bit "see, I was going to go meet up with him at Hyrule Castle town, where they were having the peace talk" she lowered her gaze in a defeated manner, "but I got kidnapped, and now I'm worried about what he'll do."</p><p>Corrin placed a reassuring hand on Luci's shoulder. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"Our dad had said some horrible things about the Pleginas, and I'm worried Marth might start another war," she abruptly shook her head and smiled. "well not quite, I know his retainers will make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid but,"</p><p>her smile faded. "I'm worried we might mess up our only chance to become allies."</p><p>Corrin smiled reassuringly; she had no clue when it came to politics or what she could only assume were politics. "You know a lot about this politics stuff, huh."</p><p>Lucina looked up at Corrin with a soft smile, she knew she was trying to lighten the mood, and she was thankful for it. "Well, I kinda have to if I wanna take up my mom's old job."</p><p>When Corrin tilted her head at the younger girl, Lucina took that as an unasked question "Our mother was amazing at making friends with other lords and nations" there was a far off spark in her eyes as if she was speaking about some sort of mythic heroine. Then she let out a melancholy sigh, "but she passed away shortly after I was born"</p><p>Something in Corrin's chest ached, "I'm so sorry," she pulled the girl into a soft embrace.</p><p>"It's okay," Lucina tried to smile. Still, Corrin could see the pain in her eyes and almost hear it in the way her voice trembled. "I mean, didn't you say you grew up in that cage your whole life" she tried to rub the tears from her eyes before they had the chance to free themselves from her eyes "that means you must not have known your parents, right?"</p><p>Corrin thought for a moment and began to realize why this all seemed to painfully familiar. "Well, I guess that's not quite true" she smoothed Lucina's hair and let her escape from the hug after a moment, "see, it wasn't my whole life."</p><p>Lucina rubbed at her eyes again, but it was apparent the tears had tired her out a bit. "Explain?"</p><p>Corrin scratched the back of her head as she struggled to recall details. "See, I was held at another place, by the same people, but in another place," the memory of being ogled by a fatter man in those same masks came rushing back. Corrin suddenly felt a hint of anger "they liked looking at me, I didn't like it" Corrin wasn't too sure if she had bitten him or slapped him, but she had done something to offend him, she was sure.</p><p>Lucina could see the anger starting to flicker in Corrin's eyes, and so she decided to change the subject. "Then, does that mean you do remember your family?"</p><p>"... Well," Corrin thought for a moment, "I remember my mother" those words seemed weighted as if she was struggling to recall "I can't quite place her face or recall her voice, but I know she was with me for a huge part of my childhood" the first part was said frustration before she settled on a defeated sigh.</p><p>"Did something happen to her?" Luci tilted her head and ended up leaning against her taller friend.</p><p>"I don't remember," Corrin looked woefully into the fire. "I know something was chasing us," the memories were less stable and more dreamlike. A primal fear, constant heavy breathing as tiny limbs worked to keep moving. "maybe it was the people with masks, or maybe it was someone else, I can't quite remember," however. At the same time, she couldn't recall her mother properly, but she could still register it was her, a soft embrace on a cold night, cradled close since they weren't allowed to start a fire in fear of being found. And despite being on the run, she could always recall feeling safe in that embrace.</p><p>There was a soft and sleepy chuckle as Lucina slipped from her shoulder and into her lap. "Well, I guess we're not so different after all."</p><p>Corrin began to pet her out of instinct. "What do you mean?"</p><p>In a sleepy and slightly slurred voice, Luci spoke, "We've both been through hard times, have vague memories of our mothers" she fought a losing battle to suppress a yawn. "I guess that makes us sisters now."</p><p>Corrin chuckled. "Oh, really?"</p><p>The little princess closed her eyes. "Yup, You protect me like a big sister," she curled up properly, "and I help keep you calm and happy like a little sister."</p><p>"I guess so," Corrin found it hard not to smile at this.</p><p>"Yay," she snuggled into Corrin's comforting aura and murmured out a sleepy "I finally have a sister," and with the lull of the crackling campfire, Lucina's worries drifted off. She was finally able to find peace of mind and drift off to sleep.</p><hr/><p>Shulk jolted awake and found adrenaline had been pumping through his body. A terrible vision had crawled its way into his sleep, and now he struggled to move his limbs as sleep paralysis had set in for a good few agonizing moments.</p><p>"Akira," he gasped out, his voice still weak from sleep.</p><p>"What did you see this time?" Akira didn't even sound a bit tired as if he had been lying awake this whole time.</p><p>"We need to go check on Corrin" Shulk needed to make sure she was okay. He could feel his limbs registering themselves, and after an agonizing moment, he got up. Akira was already up and armed by the time Shulk grabbed his weapon.</p><p>"Corrin!" Shulk bolted out of the tent only to see the white-haired women safe and happily petting a sleeping Lucina snuggled up comfortably in her lap.</p><p>Corrin turned to see Shulk awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. She knew he must have felt ridiculous already, but instead, she raised a finger to her lips "shhh."</p><p>"Right, sorry," Shulk blushed slightly and looked away from her; she didn't have to rub it in.</p><p>In a soft voice, she asked, "What happened?"</p><p>"Umm," Shulk took in a deep breath. "I had another vision, so umm," he motioned to the boy beside him. "Akira and I are going to stake out the surrounding area."</p><p>Akira smirked and adjusted his glasses. "Shouldn't take too long."</p><p>Corrin looked from one boy to the other, "Alright?"</p><p>Shulk gripped the handle of the thing on his back. "We'll be nearby, so scream if there's trouble."</p><p>She raised an eyebrow but nodded anyways "If you say so."</p><p>Akira tapped Shulk on the shoulder, "Come on," and suddenly, the two darted off into the nearby woods far out of sight, into the darkness just outside the fire's light.</p><p>Corrin returned her attention to Lucina. She had lost track of time, staring into the flames while she waited for the others to come back.</p><p>"Well, well. What do we have here, bro?" Corrin jumped a little at the unfamiliar voice. Beside her, Lucina mumbled sleepily to herself, oblivious to any danger.</p><p>"Looks like a couple of travelers have lost their way." She flinched as she heard footsteps enter the clearing. A pair of men she'd never seen before were sauntering towards them, their features becoming apparent as they approached the campfire. One was tall and gangly, the other shorter and rotund, both dressed in roguish garb and sporting very pointy mustaches. Between their nasty grins and rough appearance, they looked to be the very picture of brigands. "It'd be a shame if they were to lose their belongings while they were at it!"</p><p>"U-Um, yes. We're travelers… Can we help you… sirs?" Corrin nervously as she tried to shake Lucina awake. Her only response from the girl were some irate mumbles. Should she scream for the others? Maybe she could just get them to leave peacefully?</p><p>The gangly one brandished some kind of iron club at them threateningly. "Yeah, you can help us! You can start by payin' the fee for comin' through our territory!"</p><p>"Uh… Your territory?" She asked.</p><p>"That's right, girlie!" The rounder of the two declared. "The name's Wario! Me an' my bro Waluigi, here are the top dogs around these parts! So if you wanna come through this path, you're gonna have to pay the toll!"</p><p>The gangly one–Waluigi–laughed. "That's right! Let's see, as for your payment…" He twiddled his mustache in false contemplation. "I think all the valuables you have on you should do nicely!"</p><p>Corrin looked up from her efforts to wake her groggy companion. "Um, valuables? I don't think we have anything like that…"</p><p>"We'll be the judges of that! Now hand over everything you've got! That tiara, your friend there has looks pretty pricey!" With that, the two advanced on her and her sleepy partner. Well, so much for a peaceful resolution. Her tail began pounding the ground anxiously. Maybe she should just pick up Lucina and run…</p><p>A hand found itself on Waluigi's shoulder, startling him and halting their advance. "Hey." Slowly, the pair turned around, only to be faced with a pair of glowing orbs peering back at them through the darkness.</p><p>"W-W-W-W-WAAHHH!" The two leaped back in fright, with Waluigi accidentally catching his foot in the campfire, only causing more panic for the lanky Bandit. The man hopped up and down comedically as he struggled to put out the fire on his foot. Much of the tension Corrin had been feeling left her at this over-the-top display.</p><p>When Waluigi finally managed to stamp the fire on his foot out, the two turned to address the newcomer. As it turns out, the glowing orbs were just the light of the campfire, reflected off of Akira's glasses. The frizzy-haired boy, accompanied by Shulk, stared curiously at the pair who intruded upon their campsite.</p><p>Ignoring the intruders for the moment, Shulk instead turned his attention to Corrin. "Are you two okay? We noticed a commotion, so we came back to check up on you."</p><p>Corrin blinked. "Oh, um. I… think we're being robbed?"</p><p>"By these guys?" Akira asked skeptically, not taking his eyes off of the pair.</p><p>The large one–Wario–brandished his fist indignantly. "Hey! Watch your tone there, four-eyes! We're the Bandit Bros that terrorize these parts. Smarter people would run at the sight of us!"</p><p>"Never heard of you." was Akira's simple reply. While the self-proclaimed terrors sputtered angrily, he turned to Corrin. "You should take a step back. We'll send these guys packing."</p><p>While Akira rolled his neck in preparation, Shulk removed his odd sword from his back. "Yeah, there's no need to worry! We'll take care of these guys and be on our way."</p><p>Wario, who appeared to be the leader of the two, gritted his teeth. "You've got a lotta nerve talking down to us bandit terrors! We'll mop you up and take everything that's worth anything from ya! Let's go, bro!"</p><p>"You got it, bro!" With that, the two men charged at the boys.</p><p>Shulk took a stance with his blade ready to parry an attack from Wario. He wasn't prepared for the short-but-large man to lean into his aggressive charge, turning it into a heavy shoulder-bash. Though he managed to block the attack with the flat of his massive blade, he was still thrown off his feet by the man's weight and the force behind it. Grunting in slight pain as his back hit the ground, he forced himself to recover quickly. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the Bandit's giant fist crashing into him.</p><p>Shulk jumped back onto his feet and, somewhat clumsily, batted Wario away with the blunt end of his weapon in an attempt to quickly put some distance between them. It worked to a degree, but the Bandit remained standing, raring to go in for another round.</p><p>Shulk shook his head a bit. He was going to have to do better than this…</p><p>For his part, Akira was having an easier time of it than his companion. When Waluigi came at him with his club, Akira smoothly ducked under the swing and sidestepped into the Bandit's blind spot, delivering a swift kick that sent him stumbling forward a bit. The man retaliated by lashing out with a wide swing, which Akira avoided by skipping back out of range. Waluigi ran at him and tried catching him off-guard with a kick from one of his long legs. When Akira sidestepped that, the man began lashing out wildly with his club.</p><p>Akira continued to deftly weave between the Bandit's blows. Though his lankiness could put Akira's to shame, the Bandit's dexterity left much to be desired. And besides that, the frizzy-haired boy had seen his fair share of scuffles. He was more concerned about Shulk at the moment. Though the boy had been trained in combat by Dunban, this would be his first taste of real battle.</p><p>In the midst of his dodging, Akira cast a glance at the blonde boy. He had recovered admirably from his initial tumble and was now attempting to parry the punches of the larger Bandit Bro. Despite his best efforts, the Bandit's heavy blows were steadily pushing him back. It seemed the man had a lot of weight to throw around, and not all of it was fat. And with the sounds his fists were making against Shulk's blade, Akira wouldn't be surprised if the Bandit were wearing iron gauntlets or brass knuckles beneath his gloves. With most of Shulk's sparring partners being lightweights like Akira, it was no surprise this kind of opponent was giving him some difficulty.</p><p>In front of him, Waluigi was beginning to pant from the exertion of his futile onslaught. In one last push, he gripped his club tight with both hands and put all his strength into one big swing. At the last moment before impact, Akira once again ducked under the swing, this time lashing out to kick one of the Bandit's feet out from under him. With the momentum of his mighty swing and only one foot to brace himself, Waluigi ended up spinning wildly like a wild top.</p><p>Akira idly adjusted his glasses. Maybe he should lend Shulk a hand?</p><p>Casually, he stood up and laid a hand on Waluigi's shoulder, instantly bringing his uncontrolled spinning to a halt. Dazed and dizzy, Waluigi was unprepared for the powerful kick that sent him stumbling across the clearing, straight into an unsuspecting Wario.</p><p>The bandits collided, throwing Wario off-balance mid-punch. Seeing his opportunity, Shulk struck out, landing multiple strikes against him and sending the round Bandit stumbling backward, right in the direction his partner had come from, and straight into the waiting Akira. The boy casually stuck his foot out, tripping Wario and turning his stumble into a roll.</p><p>A roll that landed him rear-first in the campfire.</p><p>"WAAAHHHHH!"</p><p>Shulk and Akira high-fived as Wario bounced up and down comedically, just like his partner before him. "Ha! Nice assist, Akira!"</p><p>Akira nodded. It looked like they were just about done here. Best not to let this go on any further. He walked over to the downed Waluigi, who was only just now recovering. Reaching into his hip pouch, he pulled out one of the most reliable tools from his past.</p><p>*click*</p><p>"Eh?" The Bandit looked up, only to be met with the metal barrel of a flintlock revolver pointed at his face. "W-Wah!"</p><p>"You two should leave." Akira adjusted his glasses again, one lens shining in the light of the campfire.</p><p>Shaking in his boots, Waluigi crab-walked backward. "W-W-W-What're you gonna do? Shoot u-"</p><p>*BANG**BANG*</p><p>Waluigi hopped back onto his feet, screaming as Akira fired off a couple of warning shots by the Bandit's feet. The shots did not go unheard in the tent where Corrin retreated to with Lucina, either. Corrin flinched and whimpered at the noise, while Lucina shot straight up from where she was lying down.</p><p>"H-Huh? Whas'… What's happenin'?" The girl asked blearily.</p><p>Back outside, Waluigi retreated back to where Wario was rolling on the ground to put out the fire on his bum. "W-We gotta get outta here, bro!"</p><p>Wario shakily got back up to his feet. "Huh? But our money!"</p><p>The bandits jumped as another shot was fired at their feet. That was enough persuasion to send the two running away with their tails between their legs. "Y-Y you all haven't seen the last of us! You'll pay for messing with the Bandit Bros Wario and Waluigi!"</p><p>Akira blew some smoke from the barrel of his gun as he watched the two depart. Shulk walked up beside him and smiled. "Well! I'd say we got through that pretty good!"</p><p>An irate blue head stuck itself out from the entrance to the tent. "Heyyy! What's with all the noiiise?"</p><p>Akira chuckled, "Sorry about that, Luci, I didn't mean to wake you" as he and Shulk approached the tents. The girl puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, crossing her arms to emphasize that point.</p><p>Shulk looked up at the sky, which had slowly started getting brighter as the whole ordeal had accrued, "well, I guess we're starting our trip early."</p><p>Shulk tried to suppress a laugh as an audible groan could be heard from the young princess, "the sooner we start, the sooner we can settle into a town Inn."</p><p>Lucina sighed and plopped herself down by the fire, "can we at least have breakfast first."</p><p>This time Shulk did laugh, "Of course."</p><p>The group settled around the fire to eat the last of what little food they had left as a somewhat decent meal before packing up their other supplies and heading out after putting out the fire, of course.</p><p>The walk through the trees was peaceful as the group trudged through the forest. Akira rested a hand on one of his bags, and shock overtook his face. He opened the said bag and suppressed a laugh. He pulled two small sacks out of his bag and opened one, evaluating its contents before doing the same to the other one. He tucked the two little packs into his bag again and continued walking.</p><p>The march through the woods was a silent and pleasant one before Akira broke the silence "So I stole their wallets" there was a hint of childlike satisfaction to the deed.</p><p>"You did what?" Shulk turned to his friend who only started laughing</p><p>"Yeah" Akira pulled the two sacks out of his bag, "guess I must've pickpocketed them as we were fighting"</p><p>"You say that as if you had no idea it was happening," Shulk scoffed as Akira only shrugged.</p><p>"That reminds me," Corrin chimed in, "what was that big noise we heard while you guys were fighting?"</p><p>"Oh you mean" Akira reached back into his holster and pulled out the flintlock revolver from earlier "this" he showed it off with a flourish "this is a good friend of mine" he stared at it with a nostalgic look in his eyes "it's saved me more times then I could count"</p><p>"Cool story," Lucina piped up, "but <em>what</em> is it?"</p><p>"Oh right," Akira checked "it's a gun, a Flintlock Revolver to be precise" he looked at the confused faces of his companions "it's like a tiny, more accurate cannon."</p><p>"Ooooh," Lucina stared in awe at the weapon before he tucked it away.</p><p>"Uh guys," the team stopped their conversation and directed their attention to Shulk as he pointed down the hill at a vast and bustling harbor town "this is South Mira."</p><p>Luci's eyes sparkled in wonder as she stared at the vast city. Ylisstol wasn't a harbor town and didn't really mess with the ocean all that much, so to see one with her own eyes was something to behold. She had been to a harbor town before when she and Roy left Ylisse and upon arriving at Hyrule; however, those moments, the young princess had only seen small snippets of it as she was carted off from one capital to another. But this time without the company of guardsmen, retainers, or anyone to remind her of her status, she could see the town for its true colors, and it was breathtaking.</p><p>"Well, we should get going before the sun starts setting" Shulk smiled and started down the hill, Akira right behind him. Corrin took Lucina's hand, and the two started after them.</p><p>With luck, they found a cheap inn, just as the sun had retreated. They had a warm dinner before settling into bed, knowing tomorrow they would have to find a captain willing to take them back to Hyrule.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ don't mind me as a recon a few things. Hope you enjoyed all those little nodes to Persona 5. Also as I've mentioned before Wolfy (Wolfdude16) was a massive help in this story's creation, but now he has been promoted to Co-writer. It is wasn't apparent that glorious fight scene was written by Wolfy. I hope it mixed well with the rest of the story. Hope you enjoyed it.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (8/18/2020)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Mercenary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akira closed the door behind him as gently as he could; he didn't want to wake Shulk in his attempt to get some personal business done. The door locked with a soft click, and he tiptoed down the stairs only for something to tug at the back of his vest.</p><p>He turned to see Lucina, dressed and awake, standing eagerly. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"</p><p>Lucina only smirked up at him. "Shouldn't you?"</p><p>Akira tried to suppress the smirk crossing his face. "Don't sass me."</p><p>She stuck her tongue out and followed him as he tried to walk away. "Where are you off to?"</p><p>"I have some things I need to look into," he absentmindedly ran a hand over his holster. While at the moment, using three bullets to get his point across seemed like a good idea, it didn't feel so good anymore.</p><p>"Can I come?" she lightly bounced on her toes at the thought of seeing the city.</p><p>His answer came abruptly, and without a second thought, "No," he knew Shulk or Corrin would chew him out for dragging Lucina off without telling them.</p><p>Lucina only smirked, "Don't you think you would look more suspicious walking around this eerily by yourself."</p><p>He grimaced; she had a point, "Fine, just" he made a vague motion with his hand, not really sure himself what he was implying, but Lucina seemed to get the picture rather well.</p><p>"Can do," she beamed up at him as she clung to his arm.</p><hr/><p>Akira discreetly slid a bag of coins across the counter, his eyes watching Lucina peer from one shelf to another. The man behind the counter took the bag quietly before handing the young man a small box.</p><p>Akira leaned into the counter, sliding the box into his bag without anyone noticing. He straightened and sighed. "Come on, Blue, pick something, or we're leaving."</p><p>Lucina puffed her cheeks out with a pout before walking over to him, "fine."</p><p>"Sorry about her," he smiled at the merchant before offering her his arm. "Well, have a nice day," he waved goodbye to the merchant and led the young princess away from the store.</p><p>The two walked in silence before Lucina piped up, "So, did you get what you were looking for?"</p><p>Akira ran a hand over the pouch that held the box. "I have no idea what you're talking about," but the smirk on his face told her otherwise.</p><p>"You did pay for it, right?" she tilted her head to the side.</p><p>"Pay for what?"</p><p>"I saw him hand you something," she tilted her head. "I just didn't see you pay for it."</p><p>"That's cause I was doing it right," he sighed, knowing that under the counter deals are supposed to be discrete, for the most part.</p><p>"So that thing you have," she looked at the holster, "is it like a bow?"</p><p>"More like a crossbow than a standard bow," he sighed as they walked through the streets of the market square.</p><p>"Oh," she sounded genuinely disappointed. "I'm good with a bow, but I've never used a crossbow before."</p><p>Akira glanced at her, mulling over possibilities in his head, "how good?"</p><p>"Very," there was a proud gleam in her eyes.</p><p>He thought back to last night, the possibilities of something happening to her running through his mind "we should get you one, just in case." at that, she beamed up at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.</p><hr/><p>Shulk sat at a table sleepily drinking whatever the waitress had placed in front of him, he wasn't too concerned when he woke up, and Akira wasn't there. He had a habit of doing that back at Colony 9, so Shulk wasn't too worried when he had suddenly vanished. Akira was much like a stray cat that he was caring for. He would come and go at his own leisure, sometimes bringing gifts and sometimes running back to escape from some kind of trouble he had gotten himself into, but always arrived just in time for lunch or dinner.</p><p>When a trembling hand clutched at his sleeve so suddenly, he almost dropped his mug.</p><p>"Where's Lucina?" Corrin looked frantic.</p><p>His sleep-addled mind answered for him the most logical and likely conclusion "she's with Akira, I think."</p><p>Then slowly, ever at a snail's pace, it had donned on Shulk as to why that was a terrible outcome. After realizing what this meant, the panic started to flood his body. "Oh, no."</p><p>The door to the Inn slammed open "We're back," Akira declared as he and Lucina marched into the room only to receive dirty looks from the waitress.</p><p>"Sorry," Lucina bowed. "I didn't expect him to be so loud" The waitress sighed, nodded, and walked away.</p><p>"Where the hell have you been?" Shulk asked, looked Akira over while Corrin looked almost frantic, her tail starting to twist under her cloak "both of you."</p><p>Akira took the spot across from Shulk. "I had to get some stuff done" Shulk raised an eyebrow before Akira winked at him. Shulk only sighed and continued to sip his drink.</p><p>Corrin began to fiddle with the ribbon on her dress. "So you dragged Lucina along with you."</p><p>Akira looked from one girl to the other and sighed. "She followed me."</p><p>Lucina beamed up in excitement. "He used me as a distraction."</p><p>"You did what?" Shulk and Corrin both looked concerned at this.</p><p>Akira sighed. "She agreed to it," he patted the girl's head, "and in truth, I just had her look around while I talked to the shopkeep" that sparked a memory "that reminds me."</p><p>Lucina bounced on her toes as she pulled something off her back and showed it off to Corrin. "I got a bow" Corrin stared at it before inspecting it upon the younger girl's encouragement.</p><p>Akira leaned into Shulk and begin to speak in a hushed tone, "I got some information."</p><p>Lucina's stomach growled, and she proclaimed, "I'm hungry."</p><p>Corrin chuckled. "Let's go talk to the cook about breakfast, come on," Lucina clung to her as they walked off to see about breakfast.</p><p>It was after Shulk looked around to make sure they were mostly alone that he spoke again "What did you hear?"</p><p>"There is a bar, down by the docks," he reached out and took Shulk's cup, sniffed it, frowned, and handed it back "if we want a ride, who doesn't ask questions, we'll find it there."</p><p>Shulk tilted his head to the side, quietly taking his cup back. "Why can't we take a normal ship?"</p><p>Akira slumped over slightly. "Because a normal ship," he made a motion with his eyes. Shulk followed his friend's gaze to where Lucina was excitedly talking with the cook "might catch on" he returned his gaze back to the other boy, "plus we don't have too much coin, you know."</p><p>Shulk sighed and slumped back into his chair, looking just as dejected as his sneaky colleague. "I guess you have a point."</p><p>Suddenly a tray of food was placed before them as Lucina jumped into her seat. "Enough talk, let's eat" the two young men looked at the food then each other, and after an understanding nod, decided the conversation would end for the time being.</p><hr/><p>The bar was dim and almost seemed to absorb the light that came in through the open door. Corrin clung to the nearest member of their group; she didn't like the looks the other men were giving her.</p><p>Shulk adjusted his stance in the hope of getting the blood to rush back into his arm. He turned to Akira, "where do we start?"</p><p>Akira only shrugged before continuing his sweep of the bar. "Heck if I know."</p><p>Shulk paled, "this was your idea" he could feel Corrin's grip again; he could feel her skin beginning to boil through his sweater. He rested a hand over one of hers and patted it slightly, hoping it would help.</p><p>Akira's eyes focused on a group of powerful-looking men all gathered around a small table covered in coins and valuables; they seemed to be playing some kind of card game. He spoke without taking his eyes off the table, "Just ask around and try not to make eye contact," and with that, he walked away from the group and made his way to the group playing cards.</p><p>Shulk watched his friend walk away and tried to contain his annoyance. "Well, that was helpful," he said through gritted teeth. He turned his attention back to Corrin, who was still clinging to him. He tried his best to give her a reassuring and confident smile. "I guess we'll start with the bartender."</p><p>Corrin only nodded and walked with him quietly. Lucina meanwhile was freed from Akira's vise-like grip, and when she went to take Corrin's hand, the girl had already clung to Shulk's arm. She tailed behind them without much of a fuss until something caught her eye.</p><p>Blue hair, a mess of it too. A strong-looking man with a tattered cape and a pauldron covering the left shoulder. Her feet were moving before she could inform her friends she had left.</p><p>She threw herself at the stranger, she hugged him tightly "Uncle Ike" finally, she had found someone from her brother's guard, did they know she was here? Did they track her here?</p><p>She looked up at him and came to a horrible realization, his hair was too long, his eyes a brighter blue, his face younger, and he didn't have her uncle's signature bandana "Well, Ummm hello there, little one."</p><p>"Oh ..." her heart dropped, and she let him go. "I'm sorry I uh," she looked down disheartened.</p><p>He chuckled, "Got me confused with someone else" he ruffled her hair, and she returned her gaze to him "it's alright, happens to the best of us" despite not being her uncle, he still carried a familiar aura, maybe he was just that kind of friendly.</p><p>He turned to face her, leaving his nearly full glass on the table. "Where are your folks? I don't think you came here alone," he smiled at her, leaning forward as to meet her eye better. His aura was welcoming, and his warm smile was almost infectious.</p><p>She smiled back, "My friends are talking to the bartender."</p><p>He stood up from his table. "Well, we should get you back there before they get worried."</p><p>She nodded once. "Okay," she made sure to keep her distance, but the stranger didn't seem to mind as he peered over the crowd to find his way to the bar.</p><p>"Hey mister," she remembered Akira mentioning something about this place being full of sailors, and while she hadn't known him for long, she felt like he was a trustworthy kind of guy.</p><p>"Oh right," he smiled a bit embarrassed before turning to face her. He offered a hand, and she knew he was offering a handshake, "call me Chrom."</p><p>"Okay" she tried her best to recreate one of the Professor's signature handshakes "um Chrom," she let him go and smiled as she continued, "do you have a boat?"</p><p>He sighed, "Not personally," but when he saw her disappointed look, he continued, "although I do know a guy" at that, she beamed, and he smiled back. He then returned his gaze to the bar and frowned as he didn't see anyone new at the bar.</p><hr/><p>Akira focused on his opponents' eyes; they all seemed to be focused on the cards in their hands, meaning Akira had free range. These men were either really drunk or terrible at hiding their intentions; either way, this was to his benefit.</p><p>He leaned back in his chair and waited for the other men to make their moves when something caught his attention. "Did you hear about the Exalt?"</p><p>Two sailors, he figured one was Hylian judging by his accent. "That foreign king from across the sea what about 'em?" his friend sounded more like he was from Mira.</p><p>"Apparently, the peace talk went poorly," the Hylian sailor said before the sound of the mug hitting the table.</p><p>There was a chuckle before the man from Mira spoke up. "Oh, really, how long until they start flying flags."</p><p>"Soon" hyper-focused on this conversation '<em>the Exalt, Lucina's brother,'</em> he figured.</p><p>"right," one of the sailors at his table folded and tossed his coins into the pile. "it's said that the Ylissan princess was going to come to the meetings."</p><p>The man from Mira sounded amused. "Oh yeah, I think I heard something about a fancy ship with the Ylissan flag stopping by somewhere in Hyrule."</p><p>"Yeah, that," the Hylian continued "apparently, she was snatched up on her way, and I'm bettin' money on it being Plegia" Akira adjusted his glasses as another sailor pulled another card from the deck.</p><p>"Isn't it that country full of 'em devil worshipers" Akira tried to hide his growing interest; he needed to keep his cool.</p><p>"Aye," another of the sailors at his table gave up, leaving Akira with only one more obstacle to overcome.</p><p>"they have a thing against the Royal Family, so makes sense they would pull something like this" he took another card from the deck. It didn't matter which one, not at this point.</p><p>"I saw 'em, the Exalt, and his team," the Hylian continued abruptly "he looked like he was going to start a war right then and there if I'm being honest."</p><p>Akira watched his opponent present his cards and tried to force a fake smile to his face as he showed his own cards. He stood and took what was on the table. Meanwhile, his mind was racing. <em>'This,' </em>he tried to think, '<em>this was bad news if I've ever heard it</em>.' He had no clue what was going on between the two nations, but a missing princess sounded like an excellent reason to start a war, he had to tell the others.</p><hr/><p>"No" was all Corrin said before hiding behind Shulk.</p><p>Shulk shook his head; he understood completely. He didn't like the looks this man was giving her either "right, I'm sorry, but we might be having second thoughts."</p><p>They both walked away from the grizzled old sailor. The two walked back to the job postings and sighed before Corrin spoke up, "I'm sorry," she looked down. "I've been making this a lot harder for you, haven't I?"</p><p>"It's fine," he smiled at her, "as long as you're comfortable, it's worth the trouble."</p><p>"I'm," she only peeked up at him, not bothering to tilt her head upwards, "starting to think I'm not going to be comfortable."</p><p>"Don't worry," they needed to get Lucina home, and that meant crossing the ocean. Sure they could take a long trip along the sure lines, but they would still have to deal with something like the desert, not to mention how long it would take to get there. "Akira and I are here to keep you two safe, remember that" they had no other choice; they needed to get on a boat.</p><p>She looked back down, but he could see her smile to herself. "Thanks, Shulk." There was a quiet moment of calm despite the atmosphere before a soft look of concern crossed over her face. Soon followed by panic, "Shulk?"</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Where's Luci?"</p><p>"Oh, she's ..." his smile faded "with ... Akira." Akira was the first to split off from the group. He could only imagine what he had her doing or worse, what trouble the two of them could have gotten into.</p><p>His terrified imaginings were cut off by the boy in question approaching the group holding something over his shoulder. "Guys"</p><p>"Akira, thank god," Shulk gripped his friend by the shirt, "where's Lucina?"</p><p>Akira stared blankly at his comrade before lightly removing Shulk's grip on him. "I left her with you," he shook his head as he "whatever, there's something I need to talk to you two about."</p><p>Corrin looked frantic. "What do you mean, whatever?"</p><p>Akira pulled them aside, and they attempted to sit and look less suspicious. Akira leaned into the group and, in a low voice, said, "Rumors are going around that Ylisse might start a war with Plegia over the missing princess."</p><p>"Lucina," Shulk added in nothing short of a whisper.</p><p>Akira leaned back, "Bingo."</p><p>Corrin began to fidget with the ribbon on her dress again. "Another war?"</p><p>Shulk turned to her and seemed almost baffled. "Another?"</p><p>Corrin nodded. "Luci told me about it the day we almost got robbed" she looked down, remembering the darkness that overtook her friend's face when she spoke of it "there was a war before and that she was scared her brother might start another one."</p><p>Shulk winced. "This is bad."</p><p>The group sat in uncomfortable silence before two figures approached them. "Hey guys," Lucina leaned against the table as she came to rejoin her friends.</p><p>"Thank goodness you're okay" the tension in Shulk's shoulders left almost immediately.</p><p>Corrin threw herself at the young princess, "Where were you?" wrapping her up in a tight embrace, her tail beginning to move of its own will.</p><p>Lucina chuckled as she returned the hug, "I was with Mr. Chrom." Corrin let her breathe, and at that, the young princess made a motion to her compassion "he has a boat."</p><p>The tall man beside her raised his hand in greeting, "Hello." he looked at the young princess and frowned. He turned back to the group and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, "and I said I know a guy."</p><p>Shulk regarded the blue-haired fighter with concern. "Can we trust him?"</p><p>At that, Chrom beamed a huge smile crossing his face. "Well, I know I do," he overlooked the group's reactions and sighed, "Besides, I can come with you."</p><p>Akira observed the other man. He adjusted his glasses, seeming to catch any light in the bar to hide his real gaze. His voice was even when he spoke up, "And how can we trust you?"</p><p>Chrom seemed unperturbed "I get what you mean" he smiled as Lucina crawled into a seat between Akira and Corrin "although the crew can be a bit on the rough side" he shook his head as if reassuring himself more than any in the group "but they wouldn't try anything."</p><p>Corrin held Lucina close as she watched Chrom. She spotted the loose armor and the sword strapped at his side. She met his eyes again, "Would you be able to protect us?"</p><p>He grinned at that "Sure can" he adjusted his stance showing off the longsword at his hip. "I'm a mercenary."</p><p>Akira leaned back, a skeptical look crossing his once even expression, "How much?"</p><p>Chrom's smile faded as he looked over the group. "Well," his eyes lingered on Lucina before he shook his head, "I can't charge a bunch of kids, consider it on the house."</p><p>Akira leaned over to Shulk. "Sounds suspicious."</p><p>Luci looked up at the two boys. "I trust him," she smiled as she added, "he reminds me of Uncle Ike." she looked thoughtful for a moment "actually, he was a mercenary as well" then her eyes sparkled, "and the Professor too."</p><p>Chrom couldn't help but smile at the young girl's enthusiasm. He then regarded the rest of the group and shook his head, "besides, I know the crew, save your coin for them" he looked off at the door, a determined stare carved into his features "they can be a stingy lot."</p><p>Shulk looked from Luci, who nodded energetically, to Corrin, who simply nodded once, then to Akira, who seemed to have just finished his evaluation of the mercenary before giving a single short nod. Shulk then looked back at the mercenary, "It's worth a try."</p><hr/><p>The group walked down the busy streets of the harbor for about an hour before Shulk finally got the courage to ask what was on his mind, "so which one is it?"</p><p>Chrom finally came to a stop just shy of the docks before pointing, "That one."</p><p>The ship was a gigantic and gorgeous work of craftsmanship. But the thing that stood out the most was a vast and elaborate painting on the side of the vessel leading to the bow. A colossal dragon head decorating the bow. The artwork that led down from the bow was a vast illustrated image of a dragon's mighty wings and body. However, the most striking detail wasn't the red eyes of the beast or the dark feathered wings but rather the name of the ship writing in a strange golden looking paint that popped out in contrast to the dark wood of the boat and the even darker meral at its bow. The three words seemed to give off some kind of authority in the way they were written, <em>The Black Dragon.</em></p><p>Lucina's eyes widened and sparkled with awe. "That's huge."</p><p>Akira regarded the sailors that walked in and out of it. "Too huge," he knew the answers before he asked, "what kinda people are we looking at."</p><p>Chrom turned to regard the rest of his group, "The Pirates of Grim."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ well, I hope you enjoyed that. I hope you guys didn't mind, but I changed Chrom's default design … just a bit. Well, without further ado, have a lovely week, and I'll see you all next chapter.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (9/2/20)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Captain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's my birthday, September 13, so as a gift from me to you. Have another chapter this week. Also, I'm not sorry</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While the Black Dragon wasn't the most giant ship in the harbor, it was still a relatively large ship, an absolute titan up close. While it painted a regal picture from a distance, it wasn't until closer inspection that it's worn battle scars would show themselves. The dark wood hid the differences from the old and new planks well.</p><p>The crew that walked the deck were huge powerful looking men, but Chrom paid their glares no mind as he stepped aboard the colossal vessel. The others kept a reasonable distance behind him.</p><p>It wasn't until one of those sailors directly stood in Chrom's way that the group stopped. "You've got some nerve coming back here, merc."</p><p>Chrom straightened his shoulders. "I wish to speak with your Captain."</p><p>The sailor sneered, "You'd like that, wouldn't you." Chrom, however, didn't move, and the sailor seemed to take that as a challenge.</p><p>The man reached out abruptly, grabbing Chrom by his collar and began growling out empty threats, all things he'd heard before.</p><p>A voice cut through the tension, "What did I say about picking fights with civilians." it wasn't a shout, but there was apparent power behind it as the sailor scoffed and let Chrom go.</p><p>Chrom adjusted the collar of his tunic then gazed behind the huge man. "There you are" he couldn't keep the smile from his face. He disregarded the brute and approached his savior. "I was looking for you."</p><p>The white of his hair catching the light in just the right way, it almost gleaned silver, curling around his pale face. His navy blue coat flowing in the faint breeze as he walked; the two tails, despite being separated years ago, still moving as one single entity. The deep burgundy designs almost seeming to glow in the midday sun. The corner of his mouth tilted upwards as he gazed at Chrom, '<em>absolutely stunning.'</em></p><p>"You're back," he raised an eyebrow, "so soon?"</p><p>The pirate raised a golden cuffed sleeve to him; it was only then that he remembered his excuse for returning. "Right … well sort of"</p><p>He shook his head suddenly; he couldn't get distracted, not yet.</p><hr/><p>Shulk watched Chrom stare blankly at an approaching pirate, that judging by the way he carried himself, he must have been someone of high rank.</p><p>He took his eyes off the two adults as he could feel a chill run up his spine. It wasn't Corrin; she was neatly sandwiched between Akira and him. Lucina was nestled against her, the princess' tiny hand the only thing keeping Corrin somewhat comfortable, but Akira ... Akira was looking for something too.</p><p>There was a man, a member of the crew if Shulk was to take a guess, lurking in the shadows. Watching them, <em>eyeing them</em>, his instincts told him. A pale face was hidden in the shadows, the darkness failing to completely hide the white side-swiped hair. There was something about his gaze that unsettled Shulk, something that seemed to put him on edge more so than the other crew.</p><p>A sudden shift of movement behind him forced his eyes away from the mystery man. As Chrom moved abruptly. The mercenary threw an arm around the other man's shoulder, seemingly startling the pirate momentarily. As he began to walk him over to the rest of the group. "I've got a mission for you."</p><p>The man in the coat seemed more amused than interested "Where do you need to go now?"</p><p>"Not me," Chrom started but corrected himself " well, not just me, er see these kids need a ride," he motioned to the group.</p><p>The pirate winced. "This is a pretty large group, Chrom" he bit his lip and then looked back at the mercenary "this isn't the same as you jumping aboard before we leave port."</p><p>Chrom, however, didn't look even the least bit perturbed, "I'm sure the kids can pay," he then returned his gaze from the group to the man under his arm. "I can help."</p><p>Akira interrupted the conversation by speaking directly to Chrom, "Is this the guy?"</p><p>Chrom beamed "Yup" he made a motion to his companion "this is-"</p><p>"Robin," he raised a gloved hand to the group, "Captain of The Black Dragon, pleasure."</p><p>Akira took it; first, his eyes studying the captain, Shulk took it next and added an awkward "Nice to meet you, Sir."</p><p>When Corrin only waved, and Luci gave a quick bow, Robin straightened up and asked, "Where are you kids off to?"</p><p>Shulk looked from companion to another before speaking, "We need to get to Ylisse."</p><p>"Is that so," there was a darkness hidden deep in those eyes, but his voice and demeanor betrayed nothing; even then, only Akira noticed it.</p><p>"Here," Akira tossed the bag he had been lugging around to the captain. "That's all we got"</p><p>Robin lifted the bag as if guessing its worth. He then looked back at the mercenary. He pulled out from under Chrom's arm, "Fine."</p><p>He turned to walk away before speaking, "Get yourselves settled, there is a room to the left of the captain's counters and a few other rooms-"</p><p>he peered over his shoulder to look at the mercenary "Chrom, you know where. show them, will you?"</p><p>Chrom blinked for a moment before realizing what was being asked of him, "Right."</p><p>Robin stopped at the door to the captain's quarters, "As of now, you are our guests."</p><p>While the statement was directed at the group, it was apparent it was more so a warning to the crew.</p><hr/><p>Chrom helped set up the hammocks in the room. As the group began talking amongst themselves.</p><p>Akira helped Luci climb into her hammock "Shulk, and I will take the room by the captain's counters" he then turned to Corrin "you two can get this room."</p><p>Corrin's tail began to coil, a sign she was getting nervous. "Any reason we can't just be together."</p><p>"Girls get their own room," Shulk chimed in without thinking. After realizing what he said, he rubbed at the back of his neck, with a shy smile and faint blush, he added, "at least that's what Fiora used to say."</p><p>Akira nodded. "Besides, if something happens, or you guys feel too uncomfortable, just let us know, and we'll move in."</p><p>"What about Mr. Chrom?" Lucina looked to their new acquaintance as he finished Corrin's hammock.</p><p>"Don't worry about me" he gave a simple smile but tried to ignore the faint heat in his cheeks. "I'll be fine."</p><p>"That reminds me," Akira turned to face the mercenary, "you were pretty chummy with the captain. How did that happen?"</p><p>"Oh, Robin and I have known each other for years," he grinned back. "I knew him back before he was a pirate, actually."</p><p>Akira raised an eyebrow. "The crew doesn't seem to like you very much."</p><p>Chrom waved dismissively, "Minor concerns."</p><p>Corrin tilted her head as her fingers took to fidgeting with the ribbon of her dress again. "Aren't you worried they might try to hurt you?"</p><p>Chrom chuckled. "I would like to see them try" he rested a hand on the hilt of the sword at his side. There was a warm smile as he added, "besides, I know Robin has my back."</p><p>Shulk tilted his head in confusion, "You … trust a pirate?" Akira looked at the blonde, his expression was unreadable.</p><p>Chrom didn't make eye contact as he added, "It's a long story."</p><p>For a brief moment, Akira looked sympathetic, as he too avoided eye contact, his hand running along the edge of his scarf for a moment. "I get ya," a nostalgic smile on his face. Then in another moment, it was as if his mood never changed. "Well, we should get settled in our own room."</p><p>Shulk turned to his companion, surprised by his abrupt string of mood swings. "Right"</p><p>Corrin looked from one boy to another before singing, "Good night, you two."</p><hr/><p>The ship had started its journey a good few hours into the afternoon. Chrom left the boy's room just as the sun began to set. He gazed out at the soft orange light and after enjoying the few hours of peace.</p><p>He opened the captain's door and couldn't keep the smile from his face. Robin was deep in thought, leaning over his desk studying the map, charting his course.</p><p>Chrom closed the door soundlessly behind him and did his best to keep quiet. It had just accrued to him that Robin was so lost in thought he hadn't flinched throughout Chrom clumsy attempt at stealth. '<em>The whole thing with Ylisse has him all shaken up.' </em>Chrom decided to take this as his chance.</p><p>Robin was burning a hole in the map with his gaze. A whirlwind of thoughts running through his head. A strong pair of arms snaked around his middle, snapping him out of his thoughts. Robin almost jumped, his hand flying for his cutlass out of instinct. His mussels loosened as he realized who it was. "You startled me."</p><p>Chrom rested his chin on Robin's shoulder. "It's about Ylisse, isn't it."</p><p>Robin sighed. "Yes," he allowed himself to lean against Chrom, "but actually no."</p><p>Chrom frowned, pulling him close. "It'll be okay, Robin."</p><p>"So …" Robin started, "you got the kids settled?"</p><p>"Yup"</p><p>"Well, that's good."</p><p>Chrom nestled his face into the crook of Robin's neck. Robin checked softly. "Can I help you?" his hand combing through a mess of blue hair.</p><p>Chrom mumbled a soft "Maybe" into his neck.</p><p>Robin couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to see you again,"</p><p>Chrom listed his face away from Robin's skin for a moment. His gaze locked with Robin's. "I missed you."</p><p>Robin caressed Chrom's cheek in silent agreement. It had been far too long.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ yeah, sorry about the short chapters. Also, this is probably the most … direct I will get between Chrom and Robin but know it's my birthday, and I love this pairing so damn much. Honestly, the lack of MRobin/ Chrom fics here was a huge motivator for me, since I always had difficulty finding them on FanFiction. I once read "write the stuff you would like to read" so … I'm sorry … but I'm also not. This is also one of the reasons I came to Ao3. I'll try to control myself.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (9/8/20)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Call of the Sea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, hope you have a nice day and enjoy. Also … I'm sorry … I said I would try</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shulk stared out at the vast sea. There was something about the outstretching expanse of blue that seemed calming. He turned to Akira, who had been lurking in the shadows all day.</p><p>"Akira?" he noticed his friend stare off into space, "you okay?"</p><p>The young man turned in Shulk's direction so fast it was genuinely concerning. "No," it was then that he noticed the bags under his bloodshot eyes. "I couldn't sleep."</p><p>Shulk tilted his head a bit concerned, "something on your mind?"</p><p>Akira gave him an incredulous look. "Did you not-"</p><p>"You're not seasick, are you?" Shulk placed a hand on Akira's shoulder as if hoping to steady him</p><p>Akira gripped his shoulders with such speed, and so tightly it was almost painful. Then in what sounded like a disbelieving and horrified tone, whispered, "how did you sleep through that?"</p><p>Shulk was more concerned than scared, "I was just tired" Shulk began to feel as if he had missed something significant "I thought you would be too"</p><p>Their panicked conversation was interrupted as Chrom approached them, "Good afternoon," he was in just as good a mood as Shulk; Akira almost seemed offended by this.</p><p>He let go of Shulk and turned to face Chrom. "You"</p><p>He got close to Chrom now; his eyes looked murderous. "I have a complaint."</p><p>Chrom looked very much concerned, "What seems to be the issue?"</p><p>It was then that Shulk noticed a crowd beginning to gather on the main deck. Shulk looked over his shoulder at Akira and Chrom and decided that it was probably none of his concern. As he approached the group, he noticed Corrin trapped amongst the crew.</p><p>There was something about the way she tried to squeeze herself that told him she was under a lot of stress. She didn't want to be there, or maybe she wasn't comfortable being alone—whatever the reason he needed to help her.</p><hr/><p>Chrom looked down at the young man curiously. "What seems to be the issue?"</p><p>The young man, who he learned was named Akira, grabbed at his collar a bit more frantically. There was anger behind it but judging by the boy's demeanor yesterday, he figured it was some recent development.</p><p>"I didn't sleep," he tightened his grip, "at all ... last night."</p><p>Chrom tilted his head to the side before slowly realizing where Akira's eyes kept darting to the door next to Robin's. "Oh," then his face started burning. "Oh! Gods I…" he looked away from the lad, covering his face with a hand. "My apologies."</p><p>He let him go. "Just try and keep it down," it came out as a low growl.</p><p>Chrom started to fidget with his right sleeve "we will," he sighed "we might have gotten … a bit carried away last night."</p><p>Akira didn't respond. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, clearly too tired to make much of a show.</p><p>Chrom met Akira's gaze again, and while his face seemed more relaxed than before, he didn't feel the crippling embarrassment from earlier.</p><p>"We don't get to see each other often, and in truth, I hadn't seen him for a few months." '<em>I missed him so much.'</em></p><p>Akira leaned against the railing "you never answered my question from yesterday."</p><p>Chrom stood up straight. "Oh well, it's a long story."</p><p>"I know," Akira yawned "you used that excuse yesterday" he crossed his arms in a way that hold Chrom; it's<em> the least you can do after last night</em> "besides, it's not like we have anything to do for a while."</p><p>Chrom walked up beside Akira, but he kept his gaze on the horizon. "I met Robin while out on a mission," he looked back at Akira and looked him over for a moment. "I'd say he was a bit younger than you."</p><p>"Your point."</p><p>"Right, I found him on the beach," he leaned against the railing "he was a castaway, washed up on shore like a piece of driftwood."</p><p>"He never told me what he was doing out at sea, but" Chrom clenched his fist, "what he did tell me was he was tossed overboard and had anything of value stolen."</p><p>he looked back at Akira and could almost hear him ask, "they were Ylissean sailors, not pirates."</p><p>He returned his gaze to the sea. "I couldn't stand to see him like that, so I spent what little money I could to get him help." he lowered his head "after he recovered, he thanked me and went our separate ways."</p><p>Akira raised an eyebrow, and so Chrom continued. "The next time I saw him, I was down on my luck and needed a good job, I saw one, but it was overseas, so I was hoping to find a ride."</p><p>Akira adjusted his glasses. "Did you stow away?"</p><p>Chrom shook his head. "No, thought about it," he smiled, thinking back on that memory, "but I ran into him at the bar, and by some miracle, he recognized me."</p><p>"He offered a ride, and that was the first time I stepped onto The Black Dragon," he chuckled before shaking his head. "I trusted him, and he felt he owed me something."</p><p>"So, you became business partners?" Akira asked</p><p>"We protected each other out at sea" Chrom couldn't help but smile "everything just snowballed from there," the warmth returning to his cheeks "we've been close ever since."</p><p>"Right," Akira smirked, "define close."</p><p>"I'd" Chrom looked away, his whole face was burning. "I'd rather not."</p><hr/><p>Leaving Akira and Chrom to their business, Shulk made his way over to the assembled crowd. He noticed Corrin at the back of the group, trying to sneak a peek over the heads of the crew. He decided to join her in seeing what the crew was marveling over.</p><p>A member of Robin's crew stood center-stage amongst the crowd. Lean and pale, this pirate towered over the crowd atop a stack of barrels. The pirates shouted and cheered as the man effortlessly balanced upon it, unaffected by the swaying of the ship.</p><p>While the balancing act was impressive, more impressive still was the show he was putting on from his perch. The man was juggling no less than six knives at once, the sharp metal flying through the air in a dangerous yet graceful manner.</p><p>With a final flourish, he threw all his knives high into the air, swiftly removed his bandana, and waved it through the air. The blades all vanished as they came down as if disappearing into the piece of cloth. The performer retied the bandana around his head. Then gave a deep bow, basking in the cheers of the crew.</p><p>Shulk and Corrin applauded. It really was quite the impressive show, or so Shulk thought anyway. Admittedly, he didn't see a lot of elaborate performances like this in the small town he grew up in.</p><p>Amidst his bowing, Shulk could swear the performer's eyes locked on him and Corrin. With a sudden leap, the eccentric pirate dove into the crowd, disappearing from sight. Unsure whether this was part of the performance or not, Shulk and Corrin stayed put, not for the both of them to let out yelps as they both felt an arm land over their shoulders from behind.</p><p>"Well, well, we'll. What have we here? Unblemished skin and clothing that is clean and lacking in tears. You two must be the adorable travelers who thought it wise to board with pirates."</p><p>Shulk's skin crawled at the voice. The performer had somehow snuck up, in-between him and Corrin. Up close, the man's pale and somewhat feminine features were even more apparent. Shulk idly noted his pointed ears and the diamond-shaped earring adorning one of them. So the man was a Hylian.</p><p>Noting how stiff Corrin had become, Shulk forced himself to shake off his surprise. "Er, yeah. Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll be out of your hair as soon as we cross the sea."</p><p>"Oh? Awfully bold of you to assume you'll make it that far, sailing with a band of cutthroats as you are..." With a flick of his wrist, he suddenly held knives in both hands, only inches away from both of their necks. Shulk paled slightly. He noticed Corrin start to tremble…</p><p>"That's enough, Gari." Came a familiar voice.</p><p>Shulk didn't bother hiding his sigh of relief as the creepy pirate backed off. Captain Robin fixed his crew member with a disapproving frown as he approached.</p><p>The pirate, Gari apparently, raised his hands in defense. "Ah, Captain! I was only having a little fun with our tag-alongside here."</p><p>"They're our guests." Captain Robin replied sternly. "I expect you to treat them as such." He then turned to face Shulk and Corrin. "Apologies. Gari here is a bit new. He was a traveling street performer before he joined on with us. He's an eccentric sort, but he keeps the crew entertained on our long voyages."</p><p>Gari gave a deep bow. "I, of course, offer my apologies as well. I simply can't help but get excited when I meet such delightful guests. A bad habit of mine, I'm afraid." Shulk couldn't tell whether he was genuine or not.</p><p>A few moments passed before he realized the pirates were waiting for a response. "Ah. Uh, no problem at all."</p><p>Captain Robin nodded. "As you were then."</p><p>"Oy! Gari!" One of the gathered pirates shouted. "'S the show over already?"</p><p>"Ah! It seems duty calls!" Gari announced flamboyantly. "Would one of my wonderful new friends like to join me for my next act?" He held a not-so-inviting hand out to Shulk and Corrin.</p><p>Corrin curled in on herself a bit and shuffled behind Shulk until he was the center of the eccentric performer's attention. "Uh, I don't think that's a-ahh!"</p><p>He was cut off as Gari grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off into the crowd, leaving Corrin behind with the ship's captain.</p><hr/><p>Corrin watched nervously as Shulk was dragged off to be the partner for Gari's next act.</p><p>That guy creeped her out. She had been enjoying his show just a minute ago, but the way he snuck up on her had set her on edge immediately. Every word out of his mouth had felt like snakes crawling down her back, a feeling she was unfortunately familiar with from her time in captivity. Even the captain's intervention and Gari's apology hadn't managed to smooth her nerves.</p><p>Speaking of the captain, he was still there. She should probably thank him, but she didn't trust herself to speak in the state her nerves were in.</p><p>So they stood there in awkward silence. Past the crowd, Corrin could see Shulk getting tied to the central mast while Gari tied his bandana over his eyes like a blindfold. Her anxiety raised a little more when he turned to face his bound, and scared "assistant" with an assortment of knives clutched between his fingers.</p><p>Beside her, Captain Robin rubbed the back of his head. "I should… probably make sure nothing happens." He made his way through the crowd, leaving her by her lonesome.</p><p>This was no good; she was being a horrible guest now.</p><p>Corrin stepped away from the crowd, back to the ship's railing. She closed her eyes and soaked in the smell of the sea and the sound of the waves below. Even though this was her first time at sea, she found them incredibly calming for some reason.</p><p>So she stood there, breathing and listening, trying to calm her nerves. After a minute or two, she was even able to tune out the smell of alcohol and the sounds of cheering pirates.</p><p>"Heyyy there, good lookin'!"</p><p>Corrin flinched at the sound of the slurred voice. She turned around to see one of the crewmates had stepped away from the scene of Gari chucking knives in Shulk's direction. Her nerves returned immediately at the slimy look on his face.</p><p>She muttered a half-hearted greeting and backed away, not wanting to deal with the clearly-drunk man. She was stopped when the man plopped a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>"Ey, c'mooon! No need to be sho cold!" Corrin shivered in disgust. "'S about time the captain rewarded us proper fer the work we been puttin' in. And wot a beaut that reward is!"</p><p>Corrin trembled, torn between her desire to be polite to the people ferrying them across the sea, and her desire to make this man leave.</p><p>Her decision was made when the drunkard brought his hand up to caress her cheek. She opened her mouth to tell him off-</p><p>-and instead clamped it down around his hand. Hard.</p><p>A growl escaped her throat. The man's screams were satisfying for a moment until she realized what she was doing. She unclenches her jaws, allowing the man to pull back.</p><p>"AGH! She bit me!" The man shouted as he held his bleeding hand.</p><p>Bleeding. Her teeth had broke skin. She could taste the blood.</p><p>She watched despondently as the man clenched his uninjured fist. Ready to assault her, only for his arm to be caught by Robin. He had likely been drawn by the shouting.</p><p>"That's enough!" He pulled the man away from her.</p><p>"C-Captain!" The man cried. "T-This wench! She's a beast, I tell ya! She bit my damned hand!"</p><p>"I can only imagine where you were putting that hand." His captain responded coolly. "Someone get him some alcohol and bandages. I'll deal with him later."</p><p>Robin then turned to look at her, and she suddenly became aware of what she had done. Gripped by fear and shame, she ran to her room before he could say anything.</p><hr/><p>Something was calming about the endless expanse of blue. Shulk couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he could feel it. He leaned against the railing, staring out at the moon that seemed to entrance him.</p><p>Then there was a shift in the air around him: so he turned, more out of fear of Gari than anything else. Thankfully it wasn't him; it was Corrin.</p><p>He had expected her to hide away for the entirety of the vogue. Although he was thankful to see that wasn't the case. He took a few steps closer, making sure to keep a bit of distance in case she didn't feel comfortable. When she didn't shy away from his approach, he found the courage to speak, "I heard about what happened. How are you feeling?"</p><p>"Better," she didn't seem as on guard as he would have thought. She smiled at him but was something holding it back from being genuine. "Luci gave me something to get that taste out of my mouth."</p><p>Maybe he should have laughed; maybe he should have helped take her mind off it, but he couldn't find the strength. "I'm sorry about what happened today."</p><p>"Why are you, sorry?" She turned away from the view of the sea and tilted her head at him, "you didn't tell them to do that."</p><p>"No, but ..." he lowered his head in shame, "there was nothing I could do to help."</p><p>"It's fine," she tried to force a smile again, although she still seemed sad. "you were kinda trapped yourself." he shivered.</p><p>He tossed his encounter with Gari off to the side. "I was worried about you."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>He bit his lip. "I … know," he took a deep breath "about your transformations."</p><p>This changed her mood completely; the sadness in her eyes was replaced by genuine confusion and awe. "How?"</p><p>He chuckled lightly, although he felt a bit nervous. "Did you think I was lying about seeing the future," but Corrin didn't answer him.</p><p>He forced his gaze out at the ocean again, feeling a sudden pit in his stomach. He wasn't sure if this was something he should tell her. "the first vision I had of you and Lucina ..." he swallowed his fear, "was of you destroying Town square."</p><p>She winced. "Is that why you looked so scared when we first met?"</p><p>He didn't meet her gaze. "Yes"</p><p>When he peeked at her from the corner of his eye, he could see the pain on her face. "I don't want to hurt anybody," he turned to her suddenly. '<em>I shouldn't have said that</em>.'</p><p>He reached out, pausing a moment before stopping, '<em>I shouldn't</em>,' "I know you don't."</p><p>He offered her his hand, and to his surprise, she took it. "I know I wasn't able to help you back there, but" he held it gently, knowing any more demanding, and it may remind her of earlier.</p><p>"know that I will do whatever I can to help you."</p><p>"Thank you," it was almost a whisper.</p><p>Gently he let her go, and she returned to leaning against the railing watching the sea or the stars. He did the same. The silence that followed seemed suffocating.</p><p>"So … why are you out here anyway?" neither looked away from the stars. "I would have expected you to hide in your room for the rest of the trip," Shulk winced. "I can't really blame you for it," '<em>I should stop.'</em></p><p>"I like the sea."</p><p>"Oh?" he turned to face her. The soft night air moving her hair ever so gently, and her eyes seemed to sparkle under the moon's light.</p><p>"There is something about this place," she closed her eyes and smiled, "the breeze, the ocean" this would have to be the first time he's ever seen her at peace. "I feel safe, somehow, like I'm home."</p><p>"I'm sorry they ruined that for you."</p><p>She opened her eyes again, that sad look returning "Me too."</p><p>He tried to force a smile, "try and stay close to Akira and me from now on."</p><p>"I will" she looked at least faintly satisfied "thank you" that time, she did smile.</p><p>The silence that followed was calming, just as it had been before.</p><p>"That's it!" Then there was a sudden slam of the door causing both of them to turn in the direction of the captain's quotes.</p><p>Shulk was concerned, "Akira?" and very confused.</p><p>Akira was dragging his hammock, he marched up to the two. "We're moving in with the girls."</p><p>Shulk was now more confused. "Where did you-"</p><p>"I … think we should move in with the girls" he glanced at Corrin "to keep Corrin safe" he looked back towards the other room he and Shulk had been sharing "and no other reason."</p><p>Shulk decided to let it go and shrugged, "Well, I'm going to stay out here a little longer."</p><p>Corrin nodded, "I should probably go tuck in, Luci." Shulk had remembered Lucina needed some help in climbing into her hammock "goodnight."</p><p>He gave a small wave to his two companions as they left "Good night."</p><p>He returned to his gaze to the endless sea. The events of the day beginning to fade from his memory. Today, their first day at sea. Had been an absolute disaster. He wasn't sure how long it would take to get to Ylisse, but he hoped it wouldn't take too long.</p><p>As he turned his gaze upwards to study the stars, he was hit by a sudden assault on his senses. There where screams, loud crashes, the clash of steel on metal, and an unforgettable roar that he had heard only twice before.</p><p>He turned his gaze in the direction his comrades had left in. "Oh, no."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ well, there you have it. And … it's still my birthday week … so. I hope you enjoyed.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (9/12/20)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Pirates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright, I hope you guys are ready for another ride</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shulk covered up a yawn as he gazed out into the endless sea before him. Having lived at an inn most of his life, Shulk had practically grown up on tales told by traders and other such travelers coming in from the port town. The stories were plentiful and varied, from hard-fought struggles to get through terrible storms to epic battles with giant sea monsters. To even the cheesy romance stories about lovers out at sea that Fiora always enjoyed.</p><p>What all these stories omitted, however, were the <em>looong </em>days stuck on a glorified floating barrel with nothing to do but stare out into the empty blue void.</p><p>The sailor's life, as it turns out, was pretty dull.</p><p>With Robin's crew taking care of all the necessities of voyaging across the ocean, Shulk had quickly run out of things to do to pass the time. He couldn't even partake in one of his favorite pastimes of studying his prized relic, without one of the crew members peering greedily over his shoulder. Conversation, it seems, was about the only activity Shulk could comfortably partake in on this ship, but even that had its limits.</p><p>Corrin hadn't been in a good mood since the voyage started, so he was giving her some space for the time being. Unless she asked for his company, of course.</p><p>Akira was an option, but Shulk knew from experience that he wasn't much for small talk. And besides that, he didn't seem to require a companion as desperately as Shulk was at the moment. Last he saw him; the frizzy-haired boy had been occupying himself by carving doodles into the walls of the ship with his knife (hopefully with permission). Shulk thought it best not to intrude.</p><p>Then there was the crew itself which, needless to say, Shulk was <em>not </em>eager to strike up a conversation with.</p><p>And of course, there was Lucina, who… actually, come to think of it, where <em>was </em>she? Shulk didn't recall seeing her that morning. Odd, the young princess had been the most vocal about her growing boredom throughout the trip. He'd have thought he'd have seen her wandering the ship by now. He should probably make sure she hasn't gotten into some kind of trouble…</p><p>"Enjoying the view?"</p><p>Shulk straightened up as the ship's Captain himself approached. "Ah! Captain! Good morning, Sir!"</p><p>The Captain returned his greeting with an easy smile. "You're not a member of my crew, you know. Please, just call me Robin."</p><p>"Er, alright, Robin, Sir," Shulk replied awkwardly. Being on a first-name basis with the Captain of a pirate crew was interesting, though not something he could say he ever wanted to experience for himself. It'd probably be rude to admit as such, though. "Uh, yeah. Not a whole lot else to do, y' know?"</p><p>Captain Robin chuckled a bit. "Don't I know it. People like to romanticize the freedom of being out at sea, but realistically, it involves days upon days of being trapped on a boat with nowhere to go. Not exactly the grand adventure people like to make it out to be."</p><p>Shulk nodded. "Definitely a far cry from the stories I'd hear from traveling sailors back at Colony Nine. I'm beginning to think they used all this free time just to make up those stories."</p><p>Robin let out a hearty laugh at that. "Could be!"</p><p>Shulk let himself relax a little. Despite how he felt about the crew, Robin himself seemed like a decent bloke. He certainly didn't radiate the same rough and shady aura many members of his crew did. Really, aside from his long coat and the cutlass sheathed at his side, Robin didn't match Shulk's mental image of a pirate captain at all. He might not have believed it if he hadn't seen the man giving out orders to the others all through their voyage.</p><p>"Ah, right. If you don't mind my asking, have you seen Lucina around today? I haven't seen her all morning."</p><p>Robin thought for a few seconds. "I believe last I saw her, she was climbing the rigging up to the crow's nest."</p><p>Shulk's eyes widened. "What?! All by herself?! She could've fallen off and hurt herself! Or worse!"</p><p>The Captain shrugged helplessly. "Don't look at me; it's not like I gave her permission." Robin sighed when Shulk's worried look didn't fade. "Relax. She made it up just fine. Gari's on watch right now, so he's probably been keeping her entertained up there."</p><p>The Captain's words reassured him a little, but still… "And you're sure this Gari fellow is trustworthy?"</p><p>Robin shrugged. "Hard to say. He doesn't exactly act like it, but that hardly means to judge someone in our line of work." He raised his hands defensively at Shulk's somewhat sharp look. "Again, <em>relax</em>. Even if he wanted to hurt her, it's not like he could do anything without everyone on the ship noticing. She's <em>fine</em>."</p><p>Shulk shifted uncomfortably, sending glances up toward the crow's nest. "I sure hope so." Maybe he should go up and check on her later, just to be safe…</p><hr/><p>Lucine covered up a yawn as she gazed out into the endless sea before her. "I'm so <em>booored</em>."</p><p>"Mm. Join the crew, dearie." Gari idly replied as he gazed out into the horizon through his telescope.</p><p>Lucina bolted up. "Join the crew? Can I?!" She didn't <em>really want to</em> be a pirate if <em>this </em>was what their day-to-day life was like, but she was sure the look on her brother's face would be <em>priceless</em> when he learned she'd become an official scallywag!</p><p>Her hopes were dashed rather quickly, however. "That, my dear Blueberry, was a figure of speech."</p><p>Lucina slumped back against the edge of the crow's nest. "Awww…"</p><p>"Mmm. You must have quite the wealth of free time if you're up here vying for <em>my </em>attention."</p><p>"Well, <em>yeah</em>. I've seen you put on shows for the other crew members before. I thought you'd be more fun." She had heard Gari had been a wandering street performer before joining this pirate crew, and she could totally see it. From his lanky form to his performances and even just his general demeanor. Gari greatly reminded her of some of the jesters she'd seen at festivals back home. All he was missing was a funny outfit and a hat to complete the image.</p><p>The corners of Gari's mouth quirked up a bit. "I <em>do </em>like to think I have a finer taste for entertainment than the rest of the sea dogs on this vessel. Be that as it may, I'm currently on watch, and thus cannot relieve you of your growing boredom at this time."</p><p>Lucina let out a groan. "I didn't think sailing out at sea would be so…"</p><p>"Dreadfully dull?" Gari helpfully provided.</p><p>"I was hoping we'd be doing cool <em>adventure-y </em>things! Like searching for lost treasure! Or fighting duels with pirates or something!" She complained.</p><p>"Well," Gari leisurely waved his hand over the edge of the crow's nest. "If it's a duel with a pirate you want, you could always try tagging one of the crewmates down there with an arrow. That should start something just fine."</p><p>Lucina puffed out her cheeks. "<em>Different </em>pirates…"</p><p>Gari just shrugged.</p><p>They fell back into awkward silence after that, only broken up by the sounds of the wind blowing through the sails and the crew mingling down below. After a few more minutes of staring out at the blank ocean, Lucina broke the silence again.</p><p>"…Can I at least get a turn with the telescope?"</p><p>Gari shrugged, "Sure," and carelessly tossed the instrument her way. "Don't expect the view to be <em>too </em>much more riveting, though."</p><p>Lucina caught the telescope and eagerly began fiddling with it. Meanwhile, Gari casually leaned back against the edge and started playing with a knife. She wasn't sure where he got it from–he didn't have any visible pouches on his person like Akira did–but she didn't pay it too much mind.</p><p>"So," Gari began as he idly twiddled the knife through his fingers. "Where is it you and your merry little band are heading?"</p><p>Lucina answered while looking through the telescope. "Akira says I shouldn't tell anyone on the ship anything about ourselves."</p><p>"Fair enough, fair enough. How about an unrelated inquiry then?" Gari threw a glance over the edge to the deck down below. "What are your thoughts on our dear captain?"</p><p>"Captain Robin?" She replied curiously. "He seems kinda nice. Nicer than I thought a pirate captain would be." Honestly, Captain Robin reminded her a bit of the professor. Not so much in appearance or demeanor, just a vague feeling he gave off. "And he doesn't give me the creeps like everyone else on the ship does."</p><p>"Oh? Does that include me?" Gari raised an eyebrow.</p><p>Lucina shrugged. "Yeah, you're kinda <em>weird</em>."</p><p>Gari brought a hand up to his chest in faux pain. "Ah! Your biting words! Oh, how they rend my heart asunder!" Lucina didn't so much as glance back at his overly dramatic display. "But I digress, I can't help but agree with your assessment. Strange, don't you think? Tales are told of our dear Captain, spoken in hushed whispers told in just about every port town this sea touches. They call him a ruthless tactician, a shrewd swindler, and a dark mage of phenomenal power."</p><p>"And yet," Gari pocketed his knife (she didn't know <em>where</em>). He crossed his arms, "here he is, escorting a wayward party of children and a dragon, for <em>hardly </em>the price it's worth, all the way across the sea. All at the request of that goody-goody mercenary he's been sharing his bed with. Not that I don't get what our dear Captain sees in him~" Gari licked his lips a little at that last remark.</p><p>Lucina, for her part, was only listening to Gari with half an ear. '<em>Captain Robin shares his bed with Chrom? That's nice of him, with how cramped this ship is and all.'</em></p><p>"But alas, it seems I've missed out on witnessing the legendary Grim Captain who garners fear and respect from all who live by the ocean's graces! How very disheartening for an aspiring swashbuckler such as I! Oh! How the sea gods must have forsaken me!"</p><p>"Hey, Gari?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the horizon.</p><p>"Yes, my oh-so-attentive Blueberry?"</p><p>"What does the watchmen do if they see another ship out on the ocean?"</p><p>"Well, first and foremost, we'd inform the captain." He responded casually.</p><p>"Mm, we should probably tell the captain, then."</p><p>"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow. Lucina finally looked back at him and pointed at where her telescope was facing. She passed him the telescope, and Gari discovered what her eyes had been trained on. "Well, would you look at that. It looks like you might get that pirate battle you wanted after all."</p><p>Without a hint of concern, Gari cupped a hand over his face and leaned over the edge.</p><p>"<em>Ohhh, Captaaaiiiin~!</em>"</p><hr/><p>Shulk and Robin had settled into a relatively cordial conversation by the time the call came from above. Shulk sent Robin a questioning glance, to which the Captain merely shrugged before calling back. "What's up, Gari?"</p><p>"Ship spotted in the distance, Sir!" came the flamboyant pirate's a-bit-too-happy reply. "About thirty degrees off our port side, give or take. Flying the Jolly Roger and sailing our way!"</p><p>Shulk's eyes widened. "Is this bad?"</p><p>"That depends," Robin replied calmly before calling back up to Gari. "Can you see what flag they're flying?"</p><p>"Looks to be the flag of Kremling Krew!"</p><p>Murmurs erupted among the crew around deck. Robin began rubbing his chin pensively. "That could be bad." At Shulk's questioning look, he elaborated. "The Kremlings are reptilian beastmen, under the leadership of Kaptain K. Rool. They've earned a reputation for being wanton pillagers who aren't afraid to throw their weight around."</p><p>"So we're in for a fight, then?" Shulk asked worriedly.</p><p>"Maybe, but we'll try to avoid it if we can." He raised his voice to address his crew. "Listen up, everyone! I'm going to invoke the right of parley!"</p><p>"But, Sir…!" A member of his crew spoke out. "Jus' imagine how high our reputations would soar if we were to take out the legendary Kremling captain!" A lopsided grin crossed the lackey's face, and Shulk noted he was missing a tooth or three. "Not to mention the crazy loot we could get off him. I hear those beasties 'ave gathered all manner of rare and exotic trinkets, some o' them magic, even!" Some of the crew members voiced their agreement at the idea, greed evident in their expressions.</p><p>Akira stood up from where he had previously been carving a picture of a cat into the side of the ship (again, hopefully with permission), and stealthily made his way to Shulk's side.</p><p>"Not worth the risk," Robin responded frankly. "K. Rool is a notoriously powerful criminal, and we're escorting civilians. We negotiate, see if we can cut a deal and send him on his way."</p><p>A scoff sounded out from the side. Shulk followed the source of the noise to find another crewmate, sitting on a barrel near the ship's edge. The man was big and burly and covered in scars, both on his face and on his exposed arms. A scowl dominated his unevenly shaved face.</p><p>Robin frowned. "Do you have an objection?"</p><p>"…Not at all, <em>Sir</em>." The pirate replied, putting harsh emphasis on the 'sir.'</p><p>Robin crossed his arms. "If you take issue with my orders, by all means, let me know. I'm always willing to hear the grievances of my crew."</p><p>"My 'grievance', <em>Sir</em>…" the man grumbled, "…is that this isn't the first time you've turned tail recently. Optin' out of raiding civilian ships, turnin' down profitable deals for flimsy reasons, and now you're lettin' these dogs and their cursed wench onto our ship with hardly a coin for our troubles!" Shulk flinched when the man pointed in their direction. He was glad Corrin didn't seem to be on deck at the moment, though she might've still heard them with how much his voice was rising… "Our haul's been getting' smaller an' smaller, and you want us to just raise the white flag when a gold mine lies right in our path?!"</p><p>"Hey now," came the authoritative voice of Chrom as he stepped into the fray. "Your leader has given a sound order after taking all the details of the situation into consideration. If he believes a confrontation is too dangerous, I think you should count your blessings that we'll be avoiding a life-or-death encounter."</p><p>The disgruntled pirate stood up to face the swordsman. "I don't wanna hear nothin' from <em>you</em>, Merc! Yer likely what's been makin' our Captain go soft, to begin with! We ain't allowed to bring women on the ship, yet the Captain has you for company in his bed chambers every night! We're overdue a comeuppance, so I say we stick it to the lizards and take what we're owed!"</p><p>Several cheers of agreement broke out among the crew. Chrom looked like he was ready to argue further, but he was stopped by Robin placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head placatingly, then fixed his subordinate with a stern look. "We're invoking parley, that isn't up for debate. We'll see if we can strike a deal with K. Rool that will benefit us, but right now, our priority is getting to the next port without incident. Is that clear?"</p><p>The lackey sneered at his Captain, but before he could open his mouth to complain, he was cut off by another call from Gari. "Oh, gentlemen~! Hate to disrupt your compensation–oh pardon me, I meant <em>conversation</em>–but it looks like the choice is about to be taken out of our hands!"</p><p>"What now, Gari?" Robin called, somewhat relieved to have a distraction from that particular conversation.</p><p>"Some sort of cannon is extending from the figurehead of the ship! Looks to be magical in nature, and charging up as we speak!"</p><p>The crew members paled.</p><p>"That's insane!" Chrom exclaimed. "Does he intend to fire upon us without letting us make our case?! He must be mad!"</p><p>"Well, they don't call him Captain Cruel for nothing!" Shulk could <em>hear</em> the perpetual grin on Gari's face. He <em>really </em>didn't want Lucina spending time with that man…</p><p>To his side, Akira looked slightly perturbed. "If he blasts us away from this distance, he'll lose out on any potential cargo he could get off of us."</p><p>Robin bit his lip. "Damn. If he can afford a magical weapon of that caliber, he's clearly pretty well off already. He must only care about taking us out to boost his own reputation, or to eliminate a rival competitor..." He closed his eyes in contemplation for a few moments. With a determined nod, he raised his voice to address his now much-less-confident crew. "Steer to starboard! A weapon that can fire on us from that distance will take time to charge, and have an even longer cool-down period! Once we dodge the initial blast, that's when we make our move!"</p><p>As the panicked crew got to work, Robin passed by Shulk and Akira. "My apologies, but it looks like things are going to get a bit rough. You all should take cover below deck. And find something to hang onto." He continued by them without missing a beat, heading up to the upper deck, only pausing to tell Gari to update him when the cannon looked ready to fire.</p><p>Chrom bowed to them. "I must also give my apologies. I had hoped this would be a peaceful voyage. I didn't intend to get you mixed up in the crew's problems."</p><p>Shulk rubbed the back of his head while Akira responded. "It's fine. We knew what we were signing up for when we signed on with pirates."</p><p>Chrom rose from his bow and gave them a grateful nod. "I appreciate your understanding. Now you might want to take Robin's advice. I have a feeling I know what he's scheming."</p><p>With that, Chrom went off after Robin. Shulk turned to Akira. "I'm gonna go check up on Corrin. Can you head up to the crow's nest and make sure Lucina is alright?" With a simple nod from Akira, the two parted ways to ensure their female companions were safe and secure for whatever the Captain had planned.</p><p>'<em>I really hope what I saw in my visions doesn't come to pass…'</em></p><hr/><p>Lucina couldn't contain her excitement and anticipation. Now, <em>this </em>was what pirate voyages were supposed to be all about! When Akira pulled himself up over the edge of the crow's nest, he was greeted with the sight of his young companion eagerly bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. At least until the changing of the ship's course forced her to grab the edge to stay upright.</p><p>Akira threw a glance at Gari, who was dutifully and eagerly keeping an eye on the faraway ship, then turned back to Lucina. "Someone is excited." He noted.</p><p>Lucina nodded excitedly. "I've never gotten to experience anything like this before! It's like something right out of Aunty Tiki's stories!" Not one of Mister Ike or Miss Byleth's stories, though. Both of them claimed they've actually fought pirates before, but Ike made his stories sound so <em>boring</em>, and Byleth always says she forgot most of the battles! Aunty Tiki made them sound so thrilling, though! "We're finally going to fight <em>pirates</em>!"</p><p>"If we don't get blown to kingdom come first, that is." Gari helpfully pointed out.</p><p>Lucina pouted. "But you said Robin was like a super-amazing pirate tactician, right? There's no way someone that cool would lose to the bad guys so easily!" She nodded to herself as if her own confirmation made the statement official. Which it totally did.</p><p>"Putting aside the obvious fact that we are not the 'good guys,' I am eager to finally witness the <em>true </em>Grim Captain in action firsthand." Gari chuckled to himself a bit. "Took him longer than I'd have liked, but I'll take it."</p><p>"Mm. Captain said we should get below deck, Lucina." Akira said, neutrally.</p><p>Lucina sputtered. "Wha-! B-But, <em>the cool pirate battle</em>!"</p><p>Akira shrugged. "Captain's rules, not mine. C'mon, let's get you down."</p><p>"You may want to put a pin in that. Looks like we're about out of time." Gari put down the telescope and leaned over the edge. "Oh, <em>Captain</em>~! That cannon looks ready to burst!"</p><p>Lucina and Akira peered over the edge to find the Captain standing at the front-most edge of the upper deck, perched right in front of the ship's steering wheel.</p><p>He was not merely standing idle, though. In his left hand, he held a light green tome, clearly magical in nature, and likely wind-based. Even if they didn't recognize the archaic writing scribbled in the book, they were quickly clued in by the radiant energy and turbulent winds swirling around it. Wildly flipping the pages and blowing back Robin's hair and coattails.</p><p>The pirate captain had to shout to be heard over the growing maelstrom around him. "Get ready! Everybody, brace yourselves!"</p><p>The first thing Lucina noticed was the bright flash of light, not from Robin, but from the direction of the other pirate ship. Before she had the chance to fully process it, though, Akira grabbed her shoulder and forced her down into a crouching position. Just in time for what happened next.</p><p>"<em><strong>ARCWIND!</strong></em>"</p><p>Lucina was nearly knocked even further to the ground by the sudden acceleration of the ship. Akira's iron grip on her shoulder was all that kept her from slamming into the wall of the crow's nest. Meanwhile, Gari remained standing, grabbing ahold of the mast to keep himself standing while laughing like a madman.</p><p>What followed was a <em>rush</em>. Intense shockwaves rocked the vessel, strange light illuminated what little she could see of the ship from her crouched position. And a tremendous roar drowned out all other sounds, even Gari's cackling.</p><p>Determined to get a glimpse of what was happening, Lucina grasped the edge of the crow's nest in a firm grip and pulled herself up just enough to peek over it.</p><p>What she saw was nothing short of <em>incredible</em>.</p><p>From her perspective, it was as if a rift had opened up between the sea and the sky, the two split apart by a rushing river, as concentrated as it was turbulent. The beam itself was maybe three times the width of the ship's mast, but its effects were felt far beyond its radius. She could practically <em>taste </em>the raw concentration of magical power from where she was. There was little doubt; if that beam had hit them head-on, there wouldn't have been anything left. And they had just barely avoided it.</p><p><em>Whoa</em>.</p><p>Lucina gulped as the laser shot passed the ship. She relaxed a bit as the beam dissipated, only to tense up again at the sound of a thunderous explosion hit her ears. She whipped her head in the direction the laser had continued to see a massive plume of water shooting up in the distance. Perhaps the beam detonated from hitting the ocean's surface, or maybe it just exploded if it kept going without hitting something for awhile.</p><p>Either way, yeah, they would have been very, very dead.</p><p>Next to her, Akira readjusted his glasses. "That's the kind of super-weapon you usually only see royalty-types equipped with. The hell did a pirate get ahold of something like that?"</p><p>"K. Rool must have either quite the connections or quite deep pockets to afford it," Gari smirked. "Maybe I signed on with the wrong crew in my search for the pinnacle of piracy?"</p><p>"I-I'm sure Captain Robin has this handled!" Lucina defended. "I-I mean, we dodged it, right?"</p><p>Gari chuckled. "Perhaps. Don't celebrate yet, though. Next comes the shockwaves."</p><p>"Huh?" Before Lucina could inquire further, Robin shouted out further orders.</p><p>"Veer back to port side, and keep it steady! We're riding the wave straight to him!" Even as he gave the instruction, he was already charging up another wind spell in his hands.</p><p>Realization dawned on Lucina as she looked back in the direction of the massive explosion. Waves were forming from the epicenter of the blast. The ripples that develop in a pond when someone chucks a rock in. But on a <em>much</em> larger scale. It almost looked like the ocean was <em>rising </em>to chase after them.</p><p><em>Whoa</em>.</p><p>As a princess herself, Lucina had, of course, heard stories of magical tools of such incredible power. Even if Ylisse itself preferred more traditional methods, such as the blessed swords wielded by her brother and his vassals. And while she had <em>heard</em> that Miss Byleth's sword could cleave through whole mountains, she had never seen such a feat of raw power herself before.</p><p>Maybe she should ask Miss Byleth to chop down a mountain for her sometime…</p><p>Before her thoughts could go any further down that trail, the boat lurched forward from the shockwave catching up to it. The ship leaned forward and rose up as the water moved on like a rolling hill. Before, the boat could reach the peak of the slope and therefore allow the enormous wave to pass beneath them. Robin fired another powerful wind spell into the sails, keeping the boat's forward momentum as it <em>rode</em> with the tide.</p><p>They were on a pirate ship, and they were <em>surfing </em>their way towards another pirate ship to engage them in battle. As the salty sea wind (and no small amount of seawater) rushed through her hair, there was only one thing going through Lucinda's mind.</p><p>'<em>This is the single most exciting thing I've ever done!'</em></p><hr/><p>Down on the upper deck, Robin was a bit too focused to appreciate the incredible feat he had performed. Casting such a steady stream of high-level spells was tiring on its own, but he had to make sure the boost in speed remained steady. Only when he reached his limit did he allow the Arcwind spell to subside, and thus allowed the diminishing wave to properly pass beneath them.</p><p>There was some more mild panic from his crew as the Black Dragon leaned back, sliding down the backend of the shockwave until the ship returned to sea-level with a splash. Aside from a wet crew, it looked like they made it through that ordeal relatively unscathed.</p><p>For a few minutes, Robin allowed himself and his crew some reprieve. When the wave in front of them diminished fully, he was able to clearly see their target. The Kremling's ship was now clearly visible without the need for a telescope. They were only a few minutes out from one another now.</p><p>'<em>Won't be too long now.'</em></p><p>Wiping some sweat off his brow, Robin straightened up to address his crew. "Prep the cannons! When we get close, I'm going to fire off another spell to boost our speed! We'll have one shot at this! As we pass by their ship, we need to hit either their rudder or the cannon; they just fired! If we can disable their movement or keep them from firing, we'll be able to outspend them and make our escape!"</p><p>Thankfully, it looked like his crewmates were too shaken up to argue with him this time. They went about preparing the cannons without complaint, the desire for fame and treasure temporarily outweighed by their desire to live.</p><p>"I suggest aiming for the cannon! If those shots fail, try hitting the rudder on our way out!" Barring that, they would have to stop the ship and head back to engage K. Rool directly. They <em>had </em>to disable them, or they wouldn't be able to make a safe getaway. The Kremlings would just turn around and fire another shot once their cannon was operational again.</p><p>As he continued to catch his breath, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "You alright? I understand the situation is dire, but try not to push yourself too hard."</p><p>Robin gave Chrom a grateful smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll be sure to get plenty of rest when this is all over. Until then," he gently shrugged Chrom's hand off his shoulder. "I need to guide everyone here to safety. Everyone on this ship relies on my orders in times like these, whether they'll admit it or not."</p><p>Chrom nodded. "Right then. Well, I hope you don't mind, but I intend to stay at your side until we get out of this mess." The mercenary gave a smile of his own. "It's not like I'll be needed here anyways. If your scheme goes as planned–which they always do–there won't be any need for a close-quarters combatant."</p><p>"Your confidence is encouraging. I'd welcome your company, of course. Just try not to get comfortable. If they react fast enough, we'll likely still receive some cannon-fire for our trouble." Robin looked towards their rapidly approaching adversary. "Speaking of which…"</p><p>They were getting close, very nearly in cannon-fire range now;0 It wouldn't be long before they passed right by each other. Robin raised his tome and started charging another Arcwind spell.</p><p>"Everyone get ready!" With his blue-haired companion standing steadfast at his side, he fired off one more torrent of wind into the sails. One of his men informed him that the men below deck were ready to fire. Good, just in time for them to come up on the enemy. With any luck, they'd be home free in less than a minute…</p><p>Robin pinpointed the moment things turned south nearly as soon as it happened.</p><p>The cannons fired. It was challenging to make a clear shot while moving at high speeds; Robin knew this. Even so, he was relieved to see that at least one of the shots looked like they would hit their mark.</p><p>That relief was dashed immediately when the one shell that looked like it would land was intercepted before it could reach its destination. The other two cannonballs fired wide, missing the ship entirely and harmlessly landing in the ocean.</p><p>As the other two cannonballs sailed passed their mark, Robin caught sight of what had thwarted them. Standing tall and <em>wide</em> at the bow of the enemy ship was the Kremling's Captain himself. In one hand, he held what looked to be an oversized blunderbuss, still smoking from use.</p><p>'<em>He countered our shot mid-fire?!'</em> Robin cursed but refocused his attention on the spell he was casting. "Re-prep the cannons! We'll have to come back around for the rudder instead!"</p><p>As their ships came parallel with one another, Robin caught a glimpse of the mad croc's grin out of the corner of his eye. Robin has to steady himself as the Black Dragon suddenly shook, no doubt receiving the retaliatory cannon-fire he had been expecting. Not ideal, but it would be fine as soon as they were positioned behind the-</p><p>"Uh, Robin?" Came Chrom's suddenly panicked voice. "Those weren't cannonballs they fired!"</p><p>"Huh?" Whatever inquiry Robin was about to make was violently cut off, along with most of the momentum their ship had built up. Robin grunted as he slammed into the railing in front of him. Quickly, though, with no small amount of effort, he pushed himself back to his feet to take stock of the situation. It seemed almost everyone else on deck was similarly knocked off their feet by the sudden drop in speed. The reason for said drop became evident the moment he looked over the side of the ship.</p><p>Large, iron chains were now connecting the Kremling's ship to the Black Dragon. As Chrom had said, what the beastmen had fired were not cannonballs, but rather three giant harpoons, which were now embedded in the hull of their ship.</p><p>"Blast!" Immediately he readied his wind tome, charging up a set of wind blades that would hopefully sever one of the chains.</p><p>His instincts blared, and he instead spun his charged wind attack around to deflect a cannonball shell that would've knocked his head off. Across the way on the other ship, Kaptain K. Rool grinned madly, his smoking blunderbusses trained on Robin.</p><p>Deftly, he side-stepped another shell from the oversized firearm, then ducked under the ship's railing to avoid another. Chrom joined him on the floor soon after. Robin couldn't hold back a snide remark. "So, my schemes never fail, huh?"</p><p>"There's always room for error?" Chrom replied awkwardly. "And I don't see why <em>I'm </em>getting grilled for <em>your </em>plan failing!"</p><p>Both men flinched as the railing they were hiding behind cracked and splintered from another of K. Rool's blunderbuss shots. Robin coughed into his fist. "Right, so we might need that close-quarters combatant after all. Care to lend your assistance to the Pirates of Grim, good mercenary?"</p><p>Chrom drew his sword and stood up determinedly. "You needn't even ask!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ hope you had fun. This chapter was more fantastic work from Wolfy</p><p>~ S. Rosey</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11: The Kremling Crew</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And the real battle begins</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Up in the crow's nest, Akira was, uh… <em>not </em>internally panicking. Sure, they had narrowly dodged a giant death beam. Sure, they were now chained to a ship of pirate lizard men. And <em>sure </em>they were doing all of this <em>with a child in tow</em>. But ehhh, minor concerns.</p><p>Ahem.</p><p>Where was he? Ah yes, the pirate lizard men. The ones who were already crossing the chains to board their ship. That was a problem.</p><p>"Arm yourselves!" He heard the captain call out from below. "Our only choice now is to fight!"</p><p>"Welp!" Gari stepped up to stand precariously on the edge of the crow's nest, then turned to face him and Lucina. "It's been a pleasure, but it seems I must go off to wield my blade for captain and country and all that. Do try not to die!"</p><p>With that, the frankly-very-suspicious pirate leaned back fully, falling off the crow's nest entirely. A glance over the edge revealed that he had performed some rather impressive acrobatic feats using the rigging to safely land on the deck. Street performer. Sure.</p><p>Akira turned to Lucina. "Don't grow up to be like him."</p><p>Before she could respond, he looked back over the edge to survey their situation. There were three points of connection between their ship and the Kremlings'. Robin ordered some of his men to stand guard at each connecting point in an attempt to barricade the points of entry. Two or three men armed with swords would bar access, while several other crew members stood back, firing upon the stalled Kremlings with flintlock pistols.</p><p>This strategy worked for a time. In fact, it likely would've gone flawlessly, had they been dealing with ordinary human opponents. Unfortunately, Kremlings were far beefier than the average human. The crew members struggled to hold them back from the entry points, and their low-quality pistols couldn't easily pierce their thick hides deep enough to do lasting damage.</p><p>What's more, some of the Kremlings they managed to knock into the ocean instead began scaling up the sides of the ship. Digging their claws into the wooden hull to reach the main deck or crawl into windows. It wasn't long before the ship was overrun with the kritters.</p><p>Just as Akira started weighing the pros and cons of stealing one of the Black Dragon's smaller boats to make a sneaky getaway, Chrom burst into the fray.</p><p>Any doubts Akira may have had about the man's skills as a merc went out the window once he saw him in action. Where it took at least three average members of Robin's crew to stand up against a single Kremling, Chrom handily dispatched several of them with relative ease.</p><p>Akira watched with interest as the sheer force from one mighty blow of his sword sent two Kremlings sprawling to the ground. He then expertly ducked under a sword swipe from his left, then cleanly batted the blade away when the Kremling came in for a return swipe. He brought his blade down the beastman's torso, then back in for a horizontal cut. While the Kremling doubled over in pain, Chrom ducked around it to grab ahold of its tail one-handed. With a mighty heave, he hauled the creature over his shoulder and over the edge of the ship.</p><p>Akira whistled. "Damn."</p><p>Lucina bounced up and down with barely restrained energy. "He really <em>is </em>like Mister Ike! Mister Ike is really strong, too!"</p><p>"I'll take your word for it," Akira replied without taking his eyes off of the situation down below. With the situation on the main deck slightly more under control thanks to Chrom's intervention, the merc turned his attention to the chains tethering their ships together.</p><p>The merc ran straight at the nearest chain, and, with all the knuckle-headed determination of a boulder rolling down a hill, ran <em>across it</em>. Any Kremlings unfortunate enough to still be crossing the line were almost casually knocked aside as Chrom made his advance on the enemy vessel.</p><p>"What's Mister Chrom doing?" Lucina asked curiously.</p><p>"Hmm…" Akira turned his attention to Robin. The captain was pinned down by K. Rool's ranged assault. With the Kremling captain's attention on him, he could not make a direct move to help his crew. But then, the same could be said for K. Rool himself. "I get it. While K. Rool and most of his cronies are focused on the Black Dragon, he's sending Chrom in to do some damage."</p><p>"By himself?"</p><p>Akira shrugged. "He doesn't have much choice. Aside from the captain himself and <em>maybe </em>Gari," he sent a sidelong glance down to said flamboyant pirate, who might as well have been dancing with the Kremling he was engaged with. "Chrom looks to be the only reliable fighter here."</p><p>"Then, we should help!" She declared determinedly.</p><p>Well, the captain technically told them to take cover. Though really, if the ship went down, they'd be going down with it. Besides, pirate rules were more like guidelines.</p><p>So Akira nodded. "Let's." He started climbing out of the crow's nest.</p><p>"So, what are we doing?"</p><p>"I'm going to go provide some support for Chrom. You…" He gestured to the bow and quiver she still had with her. "Try tagging some of the pirates with arrows. That should do something."</p><p>"Uh, just to clarify: you mean the <em>other </em>pirates, right?" Akira elected not to answer as he hopped down onto the horizontal post that held up the ship's sails, the yardarm if he remembered his sailing terminology correctly.</p><p>Idly, he adjusted the trusty device he had hidden under his left sleeve. It'd been quite a while since he used this one, one of his favorite and most trusted tools. Hopefully, it still worked.</p><p>It'd be a painful drop down to the ocean's surface if it didn't.</p><p>Throwing caution to the wind, he ran down the length of the wooden post and lept right off. He spun midair and, with a flourish, threw his left arm out. From within his sleeve, a sleek wire shot out. The hook at the end embedded itself in the central mast of the Kremling ship. His line secure, Akira freely swung between the two ships, flying over the heads of Chrom and the Kremlings he was engaged with.</p><p>Using his momentum, he swung up and disengaged his grappling hook, landing cleanly on the yardarm of the enemy vessel. He turned his gaze up to the Kremling stationed in the crow's nest. In the reptilian creature's hand was what looked to be some kind of small bomb. It looked like it was about to callously drop it into the fray down below, primed to take out not only Chrom but members of its own crew as well.</p><p>Yeah, that wasn't happening.</p><p>Pulling some fancy moves of his own (Gari wasn't the only one who could do it!), he shot his grappling hook into the mast above the Kremling. The line reeled him in, allowing him to deliver a flying kick that knocked the Kremling into the mast. Using the Kremling as a kick-board, he flipped back onto the railing, then again to drop back down onto the yardarm.</p><p>The Kremling recovered and glared down at him. It raised its clawed hand, intent on throwing the explosive at Akira instead, only to realize the bomb was no longer in its hand. Akira idly tossed the stolen weapon up and down in his hand. Akira raised an eyebrow at the disgruntled Kremling.</p><p>Then he tossed the bomb into the ocean.</p><p>Snarling, the beastman drew steel and dropped onto the yardarm after him. Akira drew his knife and used it to parry the blade. Parrying a sword with a knife wasn't ideal, though, especially with so little room to maneuver. He remained unscathed, but he found himself getting pushed back across the yardarm.</p><p>He weaved and parried until he was nearly out of space to back up. A grin spread across the Kremling's reptilian face. Grasping its blade in both hands, it came in for a powerful downward swing that Akira wouldn't be able to dodge without throwing himself off the edge.</p><p>So that's what he did.</p><p>With what little room he had left, he cartwheeled back into a handstand, then kicked up into a high somersault. The Kremling's blade hit nothing but wood. In the blink of an eye, Akira shot his grappling hook into the yardarm and pulled himself back in. He landed on the Kremling's sword, embedding it further into the wood. He then used the pirate's arms as an incline to run up and over it, stomping on its head at the end for good measure.</p><p>Their positions reversed, the Kremling could do little more than face Akira as he delivered the coup de grace. With a devastating dropkick, the Kremling was sent sprawling off the edge and into the sea.</p><p>Akira brushed his hands off. Now, what other damage could he deal?</p><hr/><p>With another swing of Chrom's sword, another Kremling was sent sprawling to the ground. By this point, most of the Kremlings on the ship were opting to keep their distance from him. A wise choice, though Chrom had half-hoped for more from the dreaded Kremling Krew.</p><p>Chrom raised his broadsword challengingly. "What? No one else wants to test their luck?"</p><p>The Kremlings cautiously backed off. Chrom was nearly ready to claim this as a victory when a tremor shook the deck. Followed by another, then another.</p><p>The Kremlings hurriedly scattered to make way for Kaptain K. Rool himself. The hulking Kremling captain was humongous, both in size and in presence. His rotund proportions did nothing to detract from the Aura of strength he projected. An aura tinged with a slight bit of madness.</p><p>Chrom watched as K. Rool effortlessly hoisted up an unlucky member of his crew with one arm. He snapped and growled in whatever passed as a language for his kind. With a huff, he chucked his trembling crewmate in the direction of the Black Dragon.</p><p>The rest of his cowering crew followed their crewmate soon after on their own. Clambering over one another to climb across the chains. Some even opted to just jump over the railing and swim their way across. Even if Chrom couldn't understand their language, the message had been perfectly clear.</p><p>Chrom frowned deeply. He never approved of the idea of ruling through fear. Sadly, it seemed to be the standard way of things for pirates.</p><p>Setting his misgivings on the topic aside, for the time being, he fixed his new foe with a steely gaze. "So, you're the dreaded Kaptain K. Rool then?"</p><p>The Kremling captain fixed him with a slightly unhinged gaze of his own. He wore no visible armor, only the stereotypical pirate hat atop his head. As well as a long coat not dissimilar to the one Robin wore, albeit a dark red color and much larger to fit his larger frame.</p><p>Besides that, his only weapon appeared to be the oversized blunderbuss resting at his side. It wouldn't be terribly useful to him if Chrom got in close. If his casual display of brute strength earlier was anything to go by, though, even the Kremling captain's bare hands could be dangerous up close.</p><p>Even so, there was nothing for it. Chrom took a ready stance. "Hear me, Kremling Captain! I am a mercenary by the name of Chrom! By my blade, I will see you taste the bitterness of defeat!"</p><p>He took off in a sprint. K. Rool brought his massive firearm up in a quick motion to fire at him, but he deftly sidestepped the shot and charged into the Kremling captain's range. With a mighty shout, Chrom swung his blade, intent on driving it into K. Rool's mighty gut.</p><p>
  <em>*CLAAAAAAANG*</em>
</p><p>Vibrations violently ran up Chrom's arms from his blade connecting with what felt like a solid steel wall. '<em>Just what is he made out of?!' </em>His arms continued to tingle, even after the vibrations subsided. He took a moment to rub his arms in an attempt to massage some feeling back into them. He sighed in relief as the tingling sensation went away. That was unpleasant.</p><p>He realized belatedly that K. Rool had been merely standing there while he took his reprieve. Awkwardly, he raised his head to see the Kremling captain looking down on him with a toothy, reptilian smirk. He slowly and deliberately raised a clawed fist…</p><p>And then violently slammed it into Chrom's face.</p><hr/><p>Back up in the crow's nest of the Black Dragon, Lucina had tempered her excitement somewhat in favor of a calm focus as she took aim with her bow. Memories of lessons with Miss Byleth came flooding back to her.</p><p>"<em>Shoulders loose. Both eyes open. Index finger above the arrow, two fingers below. Keep your stance relaxed."</em></p><p>Rather than risk accidentally shooting a member of Robin's crew, she had taken to firing upon the Kremlings crawling across the chains. Their slow pace made them easy targets, and a successful hit would usually see them falling into the ocean. It took her a few tries to adjust to the swaying of the ship, but she got the hang of it after just a few misses.</p><p>"<em>Calm your breathing and stay focused. Even the slightest unnecessary movement can throw off your shot at the last moment. Always keep your target's movements in mind when shooting a living being."</em></p><p>After teaching her the basics, Miss Byleth started taking her out on hunting trips, justifying it to her worried brother as a 'field exercise for practical experience.' Compared to shooting deer and rabbits in the woods, the bulky Kremlings may as well have been fish in a barrel.</p><p>An added benefit to her vantage point was that she had a clear view of the situation unfolding on both ships. Once Chrom drew K. Rool's attention away from Robin, he had shifted his efforts to aiding his own crew. He looked to be limiting himself to using weaker spells. Possibly so as not to hit his own men by mistake, or maybe he had used up too much magical energy to use any more big spells.</p><p>Either way, his efforts were about the only thing tipping the scales in his crew's favor on deck. She supposed that that would just have to do.</p><p>'<em>I hope Corrin and Shulk are okay…' </em>Their ship was a chaotic mess at the moment. And she had yet to catch sight of either of her companions. She could only hope they were safe below deck.</p><p>Her attention was brought back to the enemy ship by the disheartening sight of Chrom getting slugged in the face by the Kremling's captain. She winced in sympathy as his back slammed into the ship's railing.</p><p>Her concern grew when K. Rool leveled his big gun at the downed mercenary. Lucinda's eyes narrowed. '<em>Oh no, you don't!'</em></p><hr/><p>Lights danced across Chrom's vision. That… had hurt. Very much so.</p><p>He nursed his aching jaw as he waited for his vision to return to him. The first sight that greeted his recovering eyes was by no means an uplifting one. He stared down the barrel of K. Rool's blunderbuss, the crazy crocodile ready to put him down right then and there.</p><p>'<em>Damn! I have to… move!'</em></p><p>The sound of an arrow embedding itself in wood rang out before K. Rool could pull the trigger. He blinked. He ran a hand over the top of his head where his hat was meant to be. He turned around to find his hat pinned to the mast, shot clean off his head with an arrow. He fixed a wide, bloodshot eye on the source of the arrow.</p><p>He pointed his blunderbuss up, over Chrom's head, likely aimed at the Black Dragon's crow's nest. Chrom's eyes widened when he remembered who was up there.</p><p>He needn't have worried, though. Before he could so much as let out a shout, a foot connected with K. Rool's shoulder, throwing his aim off enough to miss the crow's nest. Akira flipped back from where he had come literally swinging in from, a wire detracting into his sleeve as he did so.</p><p>The frizzy-haired boy adjusted his glasses in an ever-so-snide manner. "Need some help?"</p><p>Chrom finally recovered enough to get back to his feet. "If you're offering, I won't turn you down."</p><p>Grumpily, K. Rool ripped his hat free from the mast and readied his gun. With sword and knife in hand, Chrom and Akira prepared themselves to face the Kremling captain.</p><hr/><p>"E-Eeeek!" Corrin cried out as a Kremling got a little to close for comfort. A clang rang out as Shulk blocked a sword strike from it. He had to brace his free hand on the flat of his blade just to defend against the beastman's brute strength.</p><p>"Hiyaa!" He caught the Kremling off-guard with a kick to the knee, then swung his blade, sending it stumbling back into a stack of crates. The Kremling collapsed in a pile of boxes and went still.</p><p>Shulk let out a sigh of relief. Before the chaos had started. Shulk and Corrin had retreated into the cargo hold in the lowest part of the ship to hide. Unfortunately, some of the Kremlings had managed to get into the ship's interior. Shulk had already fought off a few greedy ones who chose to raid the hold rather than help their brethren fight the rest of the crew.</p><p>He looked over his distressed companion. "Are you okay, Corrin? You're not hurt, are you?"</p><p>"I'm… I'm fine…" She clearly wasn't, but she at least didn't look injured. All Shulk could really do was make sure it stayed that way.</p><p>'<em>But that vision… If it were to come true, this would most certainly be the situation that causes it…' </em>He shook his head. '<em>I have to make sure that doesn't happen.'</em></p><p>"H-Hey, Shulk?" Corrin asked nervously. "Do… Do you think Lucina and Akira are all right? They haven't come down here. You don't think…?"</p><p>"I'm sure they're fine!" Shulk gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Akira is way more reliable than I am in these types of situations. They'll get out of this scrape, no problem, just you wait!"</p><p>Corrin still shuffled around nervously. "I don't like not knowing where they are. The ship kept shaking, and there were all of those scary bangs. and now all I can hear is the fighting, and… and…"</p><p>"How about this," Shulk interrupted before she could spiral deeper into her panic, "I'll go back up real quick and check to make sure they're safe. Then I'll come right back down, alright?"</p><p>Corrin still looked worried, but she nodded. Honestly, he'd prefer to stay and keep an eye on her, but having her stew here in uncertainty wouldn't help either. What if her concern over her friends' wellbeing is what ultimately leads to the vision coming to fruition? And while he wasn't lying about Akira's reliability, he <em>was </em>admittedly still concerned himself.</p><p>The stairway at the end of the room was the only entrance into the hold. So long as nothing got past him while checking up on the situation, Corrin should be safe there.</p><p>He started up the stairs, only to notice Corrin trailing behind him. "Corrin, you should stay here. I'll be back for you, I promise."</p><p>"But I'm worried about you too. And I… don't wanna be left alone…" Shulk wanted to tell her to stay. Even now, the image of a rampaging draconian form remained at the forefront of his mind. His resolve melted at the pleading look in Corrin's eyes, though.</p><p>"…Alright. Just stay where I can see you, alright?" Corrin nodded vigorously.</p><p>Shulk nudged open the door at the top of the stairs. The floor above the hold was a mostly open floor where the crew kept the more often-used supplies they needed easy access to. It was also where the cannons were fired from and where the Kremlings were crawling into the ship from.</p><p>He peaked through the door just in time to watch a member of Robin's crew get chucked out one of the openings in the side of the ship. It seemed the Kremlings had already mostly taken over the less-occupied floor. Not good; they had to get through to reach the main deck. On the other hand, taking Corrin up top was beginning to look like the safer option. It would've only been a matter of time before this whole group made it down to the hold.</p><p>"What do we do?" Corrin whispered.</p><p>Shulk brought his hand to his chin as he considered his options. There looked to be nearly a dozen of the crocodile-like creatures. Definitely too many to fight on his own. But maybe…</p><p>"Hang on." He retreated back down the stairs. When he came back up, he clutched a bundle of rope in his arm. He handed one end of it to Corrin. "Hold on to this, we're gonna use it to trip them up. When I call out to you, make a run for the stairs, alright?"</p><p>At Corrin's nod, he initiated his plan. He threw the door open and rushed out into the crowd of Kremlings. Rather than draw his blade to engage, he instead ran between them. He dodged and weaved as they moved to attack him, unraveling his rope bundle all the while. He may not have been as nimble as Akira, but he was no stranger to being quick on his feet either.</p><p>He deftly evaded the swings of swords and claws, strategically moving to get them as grouped together as possible. The more he dodged, the clumsier the Kremlings' movements became thanks to the rope woven between their legs. By the time he got to the end of his rope, the Pirates could barely move with how tangled and bunched together they were.</p><p>"And pull!" He and Corrin both tugged hard at the ends of their ropes. As one, the group of Kremlings came crashing down. toppling over one another as the web of rope tightened between their legs. "Now! Let's head up!"</p><p>Corrin hastily circled around the pirate pile to follow him. So far, so good. Hopefully, things were going well up top.</p><hr/><p>Akira banked right to dodge a shot from K. Rool. The Kremling captain went for another shot but was forced to switch targets back to Chrom. Learning his lesson from their first exchange, the blue-haired swordsman swung at K. Rool's legs rather than his armored stomach. The Kremling captain hopped back with more dexterity than one would expect from someone of his size. He fired off another shot to keep Chrom at bay, only for Akira to come in with his knife from behind. K. Rool swung his arm around to get Akira off his back. But once again had to divert his attention to defend against Chrom.</p><p>This was the arrangement Akira and Chrom wordlessly worked out with one another. K. Rool rightfully acknowledged Chrom as the more direct threat. Allowing Akira to sneak in hits on his softer back and sides. It was an effective pattern, but Akira didn't feel like it was enough.</p><p>If the bandit Wario had been a heavyweight, K. Rool was a veritable fortress. While Akira's glancing blows were distracting, they weren't doing enough damage through his thick hide to deal significant damage.</p><p>He wasn't the only one getting tired of the stalemate, evidently. In-between another of their coordinated strikes, K. Rool, adjusted a dial on his blunderbuss. This time, when Chrom came in for a strike, the Kremling captain pointed his firearm to the side.</p><p>Rather than firing some form of ammunition, the odd blunderbuss fired off a stream of flames and smoke. The intent of this function was not to bombard them with fire, however. Instead, K. Rool was sent flying across the deck of the ship by the force of the exhaust. Whereas before Chrom and Akira had competently kept the Kremling captain sandwiched between them, he now had both of them clear in his sights. He swapped the blunderbuss to its prior setting and took aim.</p><p>Akira took cover behind the central mast. Chrom, on the other hand, stood his ground. Akira was about to declare him a damned fool when he noticed the aura building around him. '<em>He can channel Ki,' </em>Akira realized.</p><p>Ki, or Aura depending on who you asked, was a type of life energy contained within the body. It was different from magic. It was reliant on diligent training of the body rather than the mind. It was often utilized in combat by martial artists and other mighty warriors. Chrom being capable of channeling Ki, explained how he could so easily combat the inhuman Kremlings. He was clearly a more powerful and skilled warrior than Akira had pegged him initially.</p><p>He put that power to good use now. K. Rool fired shell after shell his way, and Chrom met the shots head-on. The sound of iron meeting iron with incredible force sounded out as Chrom's sword met each shell, deflecting every one of them.</p><p>With a furious war cry, he brought his blade down on the last cannonball in the barrage, cleaving straight <em>through it </em>down the middle. Both halves of the shell flew past him, crashing against the wall far behind him.</p><p>Akira let out an impressed whistle.</p><p>Invigorated, Chrom charged K. Rool again. Seems the Kremling captain didn't fancy his chances this time, because he once again swapped to his gun's booster mode to speed out of the way. He circled his way around the deck at speeds; someone of his size had no right going, keeping clear out of the mercenary's range.</p><p>He halted his movements when Akira stepped into his path, knife at the ready. Once again pinned between the two, K. Rool pointed his blunderbuss straight down. With a mighty burst, the Kremling captain soared high into the air. And what goes up, must come down.</p><p>Akira and Chrom scurried to evade the heavy body slam, but the mighty shockwave from K. Rool crashing into the deck knocked them clean off their feet. K. Rool wasted no time. While Akira was still getting back on his shaky legs, he used his blunderbuss to charge straight at him for a devastating shoulder bash.</p><p>Chrom–who had recovered faster than Akira had–lept in-between them, shielding Akira from the brunt of the attack. Unfortunately, his act of selflessness only resulted in sending <em>both </em>of them flying off the side of the Kremlings' ship.</p><p>They both hit the water's surface with a resounding 'SPLASH.'</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ Well hope you enjoyed that fantastic little cliffhanger. here have some Extra stuff Wolfy wrote.</p><p>[EPIC DELETED SCENE]<br/>As the Black Dragon approached the Kremling's ship, Robin cast a disappointed look over his nervous crew. "So I've decided that you're all useless. All you grunts ever do is leech off of my tactical ingenuity. And spread overblown rumors to make us all look more impressive then you have any right to be. So no, I don't trust you to take out their laser cannon. I'll do it, my Grima-damned self!"</p><p>While his loser crew sulked dejectedly, Robin put away his wind tome and pulled out his thunder tome instead. 'Time to show these grunts how a real pirate does it!'</p><p>He charged up his thunder magic, from Elthunder to Arcthunder, and finally to his strongest spell. By the time the ship was in range, he was ready to fire.</p><p>Robin grinned. "Let's see how you handle my magic laser beam! Now, THORON!"</p><p>The crackling beam of electricity shot towards the enemy ship, primed to decimate their laser cannon, along with anything else that dared to get in its way! K. Rool leaped off the bow of his boat in an attempt to intercept the spell. No matter. Nothing could stop this raw, concentrated magic. He was about to be blown away along with his cannon-</p><p>*BOING*</p><p>Only for the Thoron spell to harmlessly bounce off his gold belly, shooting it right back at Robin.</p><p>"Uh, wha-AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"</p><p>Struck by his own powerful spell, Robin was unceremoniously flung off into the distance, far from his ship.</p><p>"Hold on, Robin! I'm comiiing!" Chrom jumped off the ship and started swimming off in the direction Robin flew off in.</p><p>The rest of the crew just looked on, speechless. The three individuals up in the crow's nest felt what could only be described as profound disappointment.</p><p>"Yyyep." Gari declared. "Definitely should've joined a different crew." The other two could only nod in agreement.</p><p>Meanwhile, K. Rool used his double-jump to get back onto his ship. He then proceeded to t-bag in a show of absolute disrespect.</p><p>[DELETED SCENE #2]<br/>Idly, Akira adjusted the trusty device he had hidden under his left sleeve. It'd been quite a while since he used this one, one of his favorite and most trusted tools. Hopefully, it still worked.</p><p>It'd be a painful drop down to the ocean's surface if it didn't.</p><p>Throwing caution to the wind, he ran down the length of the wooden post and lept right off. He spun midair and, with a flourish, threw his left arm out-</p><p>There was a click.</p><p>Nothing happened.</p><p>"Ah shi-"</p><p>*SPLOOSH*</p><p>~ S. Rosey</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A Dragon's Rampage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The situation on the main deck of the Black Dragon wasn't what Shulk had been hoping for. The sounds of combat sounded out no matter where he searched.</p><p>'Chaos' would've been putting it mildly. The ship was absolutely overrun with Kremlings. Robin was doing his best to fend off as many as possible, but it was clear he was running out of steam. His crew was no better. Most of those who could still fight were clearly straining themselves, and many were sporting visible injuries.</p><p>Gari slammed into the wall next to the doorway to the main deck. Despite his ruffled hair, he greeted Shulk with his usual flamboyance. "Finally decided to get in on the fun? Glad you could join us, you soft little thing, you~."</p><p>A Kremling grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him back into the fray before Shulk could respond.</p><p>He shook his head. "This is insane…"</p><p>Corrin was trembling behind him. "W-We're… not going to win, are we?"</p><p>"D-Don't worry! It's fine! We'll all find a way to-" His eyes widened at a pair of very human, very <em>familiar</em> shouts coming from the direction of the Kremling ship. They both turned just in time to see Akira and Chrom getting sent sprawling into the ocean.</p><p>"A-Akira! And Chrom!" Corrin rushed to the edge of the ship. She looked about wildly. "W-where's Lucina?!"</p><p>Unfortunately, it wasn't long before they were noticed by the enemy. Two Kremlings came out from the crowd. One of them leveled a blade at Shulk, the other swung its arm, roughly knocking Corrin to the ground.</p><p>Shulk drew his blade. He tried to charge straight for the one threatening Corrin, but its partner intercepted him. "Get out of my way!"</p><p>While he was being stalled, the first Kremling unsheathed its own blade and leveled it over Corrin's tearful face. The beastman brought the sword down-</p><p>"NO!"</p><p>She caught it in her teeth.</p><hr/><p>Corrin felt it.</p><p>The fear.</p><p>The stress.</p><p>The anxiety.</p><p>That horrible, itching, <em>burning </em>feeling beneath her skin.</p><p>It had been building up throughout the entire voyage. Every second Corrin spent hiding away from the horrid looks the crew gave her was another second she spent suppressing that bubbling <em>rage</em>. The assault by the Kremling Krew had escalated that feeling even further. The only thing holding her together was her desire to not hurt anybody.</p><p>But now this beast before her had tried to hurt <em>her</em>.</p><p>Her vision went red.</p><p>It dared to <em>try</em>.</p><p>A beast-like growl slipped past her teeth, still clamped around the steel blade. She began to rise to her feet. Her form twisted. The familiar feeling of smooth, armor-like scales replaced her soft flesh.</p><p>It wasn't long before the Kremling, who had previously looked down on her with contempt; now looked <em>up </em>at her. with a look screaming, it <em>really </em>didn't want to be there anymore.</p><p>Corrin stared at it through the helmet-like covering that shielded her eyes from view.</p><p>She bit down on the sword.</p><p>It snapped in half.</p><p>The Kremling couldn't get out of there fast enough. The beast within her wouldn't give it the mercy of fleeing, though. She clamped her jaw down on its shoulder and effortlessly hoisted it off the ground. She shook her head back and forth, swinging her captured prey around like a dead rat before letting go. The poor Kremling went flying off into the sea.</p><p>Even though her blood boiled over, the sounds didn't stop. Those aching, <em>irritating </em>sounds. The sounds of metal clanging against metal, and the loud, popping noises accompanied by the smell of gunpowder. She wanted them to stop.</p><p>She would silence them all.</p><hr/><p>Something in Robin sensed it the moment it happened. The explosion of draconian energy would have been impossible to miss for someone like him, even among the mayhem unfolding on his ship.</p><p>The ear-piercing, reverberating roar was impossible to miss for everyone else. Human and Kremling alike backed away from the howling beast, their conflict quickly forgotten.</p><p>"Corrin!" He heard Shulk shout, "Corrin, calm down! It's me, Shulk! Can you hear me?!"</p><p>The draconic beast didn't seem to hear him. She craned her neck this way and that as if she didn't even know where she was. Her tail swished violently back and forth, and her taloned claws dug grooves into the wooden flooring.</p><p>"Shoot it!" Someone from his crew cried out.</p><p>"No, don't!" Shulk's pleas were ignored as multiple members of Robin's crew pulled pistols on the disoriented dragon. They fired on her without remorse.</p><p>It was useless. Not a single bullet even left a scratch on her armor-like scales.</p><p>It did get her attention, however.</p><p>His crew cowered as her featureless face trailed over them; her body shook violently with unbridled fury. Eerie energy gathered in her mouth…</p><p>Robin's eyes widened. "Get back, you fools!"</p><p>Corrin let loose her dragon's breath, a furious maelstrom of swirling energy. Aimed at nothing, in particular, the raging vortex wreaked havoc on the main deck. Bodies were sent flying, both from his crew and K. Rool's. Anything that wasn't nailed down was sent flying to and fro. Robin himself slammed back-first into the wall of his quarters.</p><p>Disoriented, he tried to reach for another of his tomes. '<em>I have to… do something…!'</em></p><p>A sharp pain cut through his thoughts. Shakily, he brought a hand to his stomach where the agony was overwhelming. Wincing, he looked down to find a dagger embedded in his gut.</p><p>'<em>Did it… get caught up… in the blast just now…?'</em></p><p>He leaned back against the wall, no longer possessing the strength to move his body.</p><hr/><p>Lucina grasped the edge of the crow's nest with an iron grip. The conflict had long since lost its initial appeal.</p><p>'<em>Corrin…'</em></p><p>She had escaped the brunt of the hurricane-like attack from her perch up above. But that was little consolation to her at the moment. This was just like the first time she saw Corrin transform, except now she was hurting more than just her enemies.</p><p>The enraged dragon stomped over to a downed member of Robin's crew. She raised a taloned foot, ready to bring it down on the unlucky man's head.</p><p>"Corrin!" Lucina shouted.</p><p>The dragon hesitated. She shook her head back and forth again as if wildly searching for something. Was Corrin looking for her?</p><p>"Corrin! I'm up here!" Corrin halted her wild head movements and looked up. For a moment, Lucina was hopeful that she would be able to talk her down without further incident.</p><p>That hope was quickly dashed by a loud *BANG*, followed by a cannon ball-sized shell impacting the dragon's armored hide. She howled in pain, whipping her head towards the source of the attack to find a grinning K. Rool aiming at her with his blunderbuss.</p><p>Her fury renewed, Corrin let out another roar and lept off the ship, diving into the waters below.</p><p>Lucina bit her lip. She had to stop this.</p><hr/><p>Akira watched with concern as the dragon with very Corrin-like features dove into the water. However, he didn't exactly have the luxury of commenting on it in the position he was currently in. Dangling off the side of the Black Dragon by a grappling hook with a soaked swordsman slung over his shoulder wasn't an easy task.</p><p>Said swordsman had no trouble commenting on it, though. "A dragon?! Was… Was that <em>Corrin</em>?!"</p><p>"Looked like it," Akira grunted out as he scaled the side of the ship like a mountain climber.</p><p>"I knew she had draconic blood, but I had no clue she could take on such a form…" he said in awe. "Were you aware of this?"</p><p>"Nope," Akira replied. '<em>But I think I know someone who was…'</em></p><p>As he pulled Chrom and himself over the edge of the ship, he sent a very pointed look at a distressed Shulk.</p><p>Chrom scanned the deck, trailing his gaze over the crowd of unsure pirates. "Where's Robin?"</p><p>"Over here!" Gari shouted from nearby the captain's quarters. While Chrom ran off to check on the captain, Shulk approached Akira.</p><p>"Akira! Are you alright?!" Akira had some very pointed questions he'd have liked to ask Sulk, but he decided to hold those off for later in light of his genuine concern.</p><p>"I'm fine," he said instead. "What's going on?"</p><p>"That cursed wench has gone mad, that's what!" One of the pirates exclaimed, pointing to the other ship where Corrin was trying to claw her way up the side, only for K. Rool to shoot her back down into the sea.</p><p>Akira got worried when Corrin didn't immediately resurface. His fears-one of them, anyway-were quelled when a splash of water erupted from the opposite side of the Kremling ship. Spraying water and an angry dragon onto the deck.</p><p>"T-The cannons!" A panicked crew member shouted. "We can sink both o' them monsters with that blasted ship!"</p><p>"Try it, and I start stabbing people." Was Akira's sharp reply.</p><p>"And I'll help." Added Chrom as he knelt beside Robin, who seemed to have received an injury during the scuffle.</p><p>The pirate shrunk back in fear. <em>Wimp.</em></p><p>The sounds of angry snaps and growls drew everyone's attention back to the Kremling ship. K. Rool gave his crew a nasty look before turning back to deal with Corrin.</p><p>'<em>Oh boy…' </em>He had a feeling he knew what that meant. Sure enough, the Kremlings, who had been temporarily cowed into inaction by Corrin, raised their weapons and renewed their attack.</p><p>He and Shulk readied their weapons again while Chrom took up a defensive position in front of Robin.</p><p>Akira frowned. '<em>This fight has to end soon. There won't be any winners at this rate…'</em></p><hr/><p>Corrin hated the thing in the fat lizard's hands.</p><p>
  <em>Hate it! Hate it!</em>
</p><p>It made that awful, loud noise and hurt her. The fat lizard made it happen again, causing her to growl in pain.</p><p>
  <em>Hate him! Hate him!</em>
</p><p>Corrin charged him, powering through several more shots from the blunderbuss before head-butting the cursed weapon out of his hands. In a blind rage, she slammed her armored head into his gut and <em>shoved</em>, intent on pushing him off the deck.</p><p>But the stupid lizard held his ground. Steam flared from his nostrils as he dug his clawed feet into the deck. Corrin dug grooves into the deck herself in her attempts to move the gargantuan reptile. Frustrated, she slammed her head into his iron-hard gut again. Then again. And again. She cracked her head into it until she started hearing a worrying ringing in her skull.</p><p>Disoriented, her head lulled, and her claw-grip into the deck slackened. Her opponent took the opportunity to deck her across the face. First, from the left, then from the right. He finished off by bringing both fists down on her head at once, cracking wooden planks as she slammed into the deck.</p><p>A groan gurgled up from deep in her throat. She thumped her tail grumpily against the deck, too out-of-it to do much else. She was too slow to react as the wagging appendage was grabbed by the fat lizard. Corrin couldn't do much as her whole body was swung around and tossed off the deck.</p><p>She only managed to recover some of her senses as she was consumed by the cold seawater below.</p><hr/><p>K. Rool was <em>not </em>a happy Kremling at the moment.</p><p>When his pea-brained krew had spotted the flag of the dreaded Grim Pirates off in the distance, he had been a happy pirate. It was a prime opportunity to test out the brand-spankin' new Blast-o-Matic. He had recently installed into his prized ship, the result of many hard-fought plunders and raids. The renown he'd have gotten would've been well worth the loss of a haul. Not to mention the satisfaction of firing off a shiny new weapon of mayhem!</p><p>Unfortunately, the shot had missed. He shouldn't have expected anything else from his idiotic Krew. Even so, the resulting explosion had been quite magnificent. Very successful field test, all things considered.</p><p>So he'd have to get his claws a bit dirty, then. It was a pain, but the Grim Pirates wouldn't have been the first big shots he personally sent to the seabed. Things had been going perfectly swell too until those two pesky humans got aboard the Gangplank Galleon. Leave it to his jelly-spined Krew to leave him to do the heavy lifting.</p><p>Things had just gone from bad to worse after that. Even after sending nearly every one of his worthless underlings onto the Grim Pirates' ship, they <em>still </em>hadn't managed to decisively overrun it! And then it turned out they had a <em>dragon </em>on board! He had heard the stories about the Grim Captain being one of those infamous devil-worshippers. But seeing a living, breathing, <em>rampaging </em>dragon on his ship had still come as a surprise.</p><p>So <em>he</em>, being the only person he could rely on in his own Krew, took care of it himself.</p><p>K. Rool huffed as he retrieved his blunderbuss from where it had landed. Now he had to go over and wrap up things himself before this raid became a complete wash—what a hassle.</p><p>The sudden rocking of his ship cut his train of thought short. Curiously, he looked over the ship's edge to find the waters below swirling dangerously. Strange, the sea was calm, but a moment ago.</p><p>An enormous geyser suddenly erupted between the two ships, spraying water all around. With a reverberating howl, the spire split and cut off partway, revealing the dragon from earlier, now standing proud atop the unending waterspout several meters above K. Rool. Sunlight glistened radiantly off of its wet scales, a stunning contrast to the dark rage it directed at K. Rool as it glared down at him.</p><p>He pointed his blunderbuss at it.</p><p>It roared.</p><hr/><p>Lucina could only watch as Corrin unleashed her second onslaught of dragon's breath. Unlike the first one, this attack was focused, a concentrated hurricane that promised destruction for everything in its path. Bolstered by the torrent of seawater she had summoned, the blast swept away the immovable Kremling captain with the force of a tsunami. Sending him flying off into the distance, and decimating a good portion of the deck in the process.</p><p>But the enraged dragon wasn't satisfied. She continued to unleash blast after blast at nothing in particular. Like an ocean god disturbed from its slumber, she lashed out at everything with all the wrath of the seas. Both ships rocked furiously from the waves she was kicking up. Lucina had to brace herself on all fours to keep from falling off the yardarm she had crawled onto.</p><p>With determination in her eyes, she made her way to the edge of the yardarm, as close as she could get to the dragon, still perched atop her uplifted tower of water. Grabbing ahold of a loose line of rope, she fearlessly threw herself off the yardarm, swinging as far as she could go.</p><p>Luckily, the chains connecting the two ships had stayed intact, so even amongst the raging waters, both vessels stayed centered around Corrin's swirling spire. That meant they were just close enough for Lucina to sail through the air, landing right on the dragon's back.</p><p>"Corrin!" She wrapped her arms around the thrashing dragon's neck. It took all her strength to keep from getting thrown off, but it was worth it when she finally felt the dragon start to settle down beneath her.</p><p>With one final howl, the spire of water dispersed, sending both dragon and girl crashing into the waters below.</p><hr/><p>"Corrin! Lucina!" Shulk cried out.</p><p>The battle had halted again at the sight of K. Rool getting sent flying. Seeing the young Lucina flinging herself at a raging dragon in the center of a miniature typhoon had nearly halted Shulk's heart along with it.</p><p>He was nearly ready to jump in after them when he heard a man from Robin's crew scoff. "Good riddance!"</p><p>Shulk grit his teeth, a rare feeling of anger washing over him. "She very well may have just saved our lives!"</p><p>"<em>Saved </em>us?! That damned monster was tryin' to <em>kill</em> us!"</p><p>Shulk clenched his fists. He knew he couldn't blame the crew for thinking that. Corrin may very well have killed someone if Lucina hadn't called out to her. Even so, their words felt entirely too cruel. Corrin never wished any of this upon them…</p><p>Before they could argue further, the sound of water splashing onto the deck drew their attention. The pirates all backed away as Corrin's armored form crawled over the railing. Clenched in her jaws was Lucina, hoisted up by the scruff of her shirt like a drenched cat.</p><p>The dragon gently lowered the younger girl to the deck before trailing her eyeless gaze across the gathered crowd. Her gaze stopped on the Kremlings, who, after several long seconds of silent staring, all hurriedly jumped ship in fear of the beast that sent their captain flying.</p><p>With that done, the dragon silently curled up around Lucina, purring contentedly. As the younger girl affectionately rubbed her face covering.</p><p>Nobody dared to speak up until Robin, leaning heavily on Chrom and nursing a nasty wound, limped forward. "Gather up as many of our stragglers as you can. Find a way to break those chains and ready the ship. We're leaving."</p><p>The crew got to work without a word after that. The battle was over.</p><hr/><p>It had taken some time for Corrin to transform back. Shulk knew she would be on guard but wasn't quite sure how long it would take her to relax. He hadn't expected it to take until sunset, though. She hadn't woken up, however, and Shulk wasn't quite sure if that had been a blessing or a curse.</p><p>Chrom walked up to him as he waited for her to wake up, "Is she going to be okay?"</p><p>Shulk looked up at the mercenary, "She's probably just tired."</p><p>Chrom knelt down next to him, he turned his head to look back towards the central doorway to the dock. "We should probably get her somewhere safe" somehow, Shulk knew the other man was watching for the crew.</p><p>"What about Robin?"</p><p>"He's resting," Chrom smiled, "and I'll be at his side soon, but first," he scooped up Corrin and began walking towards the group's room.</p><p>Shulk jogged up to keep pace with the mercenary. "Thank you."</p><p>Chrom nodded, "That's quite alright."</p><p>Lucina was curled up on her hammock, fast asleep, and wrapped up in a blanket to ensure she wouldn't catch a cold. Akira, despite getting thrown into the sea earlier that day, seemed to have shaken off any fear of sickness as he leaned against the wall waiting for the last two members of their group.</p><p>As Shulk and Chrom entered, Akira placed a hand on Shulk's shoulder "we need to talk"</p><p>Shulk tilted his head in concern "alright," and at that, Akira left the room.</p><p>Shulk then turned to Chrom, but before he could speak, Chrom only shook his head. "She'll be fine; go see what troubles Akira."</p><p>Shulk only nodded and went to see what was plaguing his companion.</p><p>Akira was leaning against the railing staring blankly out at sea, his glasses reflecting the setting sun, giving Shulk no inclination about what was on his friend's mind. The difference between earlier that morning and now seemed almost too drastic to be real. Shulk leaned against the railing himself,</p><p>Akira finally broke the silence, "you knew, didn't you?"</p><p>"About Corrin?" Shulk could feel his stomach turn, "yes."</p><p>Akira only sighed, "why didn't you say anything?"</p><p>"I ..." Shulk struggled to put his thoughts into works. "I wasn't sure if this one was real or not."</p><p>Akira fixed him with a half-lidded stare. "You and I both know that's a bad excuse, Shulk."</p><p>Shulk looked away, guilt eating at him. Akira continued, "This was going to happen back at the camp, too, wasn't it?"</p><p>Shulk gave a defeated sigh. "Town square too."</p><p>Akira only shook his head in disappointment, "Why didn't you tell me?"</p><p>Shulk began to fidget. "As I said-"</p><p>"Like actually tell me," Akira interrupted, "you trust your visions, and they've never failed you before."</p><p>"Only recently."</p><p>Akira turned to face Shulk, frustration written all over his face. "That was a dangerous thing to have kept secret."</p><p>"I'm know-" Shulk tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "I was just-"</p><p>"Just-" Akira cut in again. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, "just tell me next time" he looked back up at Shulk, "okay?"</p><p>"Alright"</p><p>Akira put his glasses back on and reached out a gloved hand. "We're a team, remember."</p><p>"Right," Shulk took it, and after a firm shake, let go and returned to leaning against the railing, "By the way, how do you feel?"</p><p>"I've been better," Akira sighed and then smiled, "but I've also been worse."</p><p>He stretched, "I'm going to get some rest" he then patted Shulk on the shoulder " you?"</p><p>Shulk turned his attention to the captain's quarters. "I might try and heal Robin,"</p><p>Akira nodded, he then turned to stare back at the other door before looking back at Shulk. "Be careful."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"There's tension," Akira stood up straight. "I can't explain it, but-"</p><p>Shulk tilted his head to the side as he watched Akira follow some kind of movement. "I haven't seen anything" in truth, Shulk wasn't sure if that was less concerning or more so. "But … keep the girls safe, just in case," to which Akira nodded and left to head back to their shared room.</p><p>Shulk could feel it now that Akira had brought it up. The crew was silent; the boat was far too calm, considering what had happened earlier that day. He would have to stay on his guard.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ damn, that was really a ride, but I hope you enjoyed it. In case you didn't notice, the last three chapters haven't had completion dates do to them being written by Wolfy. And the only reason this chapter has a completion date is that I wrote that last part. Also … they were all once a 34-page document. However, we felt spitting it in two was a better idea. Separating it into the part of dodging the laser and everything else after that, so we separated the fight with the pirates and Corrin's rampage because it was still over 25 pages.</p><p>~ S. Rosey (9/16/20)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Men of The Black Dragon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've been looking forward to this one</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Robin winced and tightened his grip on the bedsheets as Chrom applied a little too much pressure.</p><p>Chrom almost jumped at Robin's reaction, "Sorry."</p><p>"It's fine" Robin took in a breath and bit his lower lip "just-"</p><p>He was cut off mid-thought as another wave of pain shot what little strength he had out of him. He collapsed into the pillows behind him, and Chom did jump this time, "Sorry!"</p><p>Robin gave Chrom a tired yet playful smile, "I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose."</p><p>"I'm not" Chrom knelt back down at Robin's bedside and rinsed the blood-soaked rag in water before going to give it another try. "I just don't know my own strength sometimes."</p><p>There was a knock at the door, and Chrom got up before dropping the rag in the water to let it soak. He opened the door and let Shulk enter. "I hope I'm not interrupting something."</p><p>Robin turned to face his guest, "Shulk?" he propped himself up with his arm, "what is it you need?"</p><p>"I was hoping I could," he stared down at the wound; it wasn't at severe as he had unusually thought "help."</p><p>Chrom closed the door behind them and walked beside him as they approached Robin. "You're a medic?"</p><p>"Not officially," Shulk winced.</p><p>"It's worth a shot," Robin sighed and laid back down, "anything you need?"</p><p>"No," Shulk removed the sword from his back. "I've brought all I needed."</p><p>Chrom eyed the weapon. "Is that what you were looking for?"</p><p>Shulk took the blade, holding it out by the edge, he looked back at Chrom for a moment. "I was wondering when you passed me."</p><p>Robin could see the uncertainty in Shulk's gaze as he raised his strange-looking weapon over the wound. He was half tempted to ask if Shulk had tried this before, but the fear in the young man's eyes told him that, no, this was his first time. However, there was something in his stance, a certainty that could only come from a master. Shulk closed his eyes, "Try not to move."</p><p>Robin had no reason to doubt him, especially not with what little energy he had.</p><hr/><p>Shulk opened his eyes after what felt like forever, and when he gazed down at Robin's injury, he almost couldn't believe it. The wound was gone, sealed, and any scar that would have remained was gone. He turned to Robin, who seemed to regard him with an amused satisfaction; Chrom, on the other hand, seemed completely confused.</p><p>Chrom opened his mouth to say something when there was a sudden knock at the door. Robin leaned on his arm again, "Who is it?"</p><p>"It's urgent, Captain."</p><p>"right," Robin sighed and reached out for his blue-haired companion. "Chrom, help me up."</p><p>"Right," Chrom helped pull Robin to his feet.</p><p>Shulk watched as the captain made directly for the door ignoring his coat. Although Chrom had helped him to his feet, the mercenary seemed more interested in retrieving Robin's clothes that sat on the opposite side of the bed.</p><p>It was then that he saw it. Taking up the pirate's entire upper and a good portion of his mid-back was an intricate depiction of a winged serpent. It had three sets of wings and six piercing eyes that, despite being an illustration, it felt as if it was staring into his very soul.</p><p>'<em>Grima'</em></p><p>The name came to his mind almost instantly. A feeling of panic and frustration built up in the very corners of his mind. '<em>Grimleal'</em> his mind continued</p><p>The concerning thing for Shulk was that in all the books he had read, in all the things he knew, this was not one of them. He had never picked up knowledge of Gods, Dragons, or anything of the sort. And yet this knowledge felt ingrained in him as if this was something he knew his whole life.</p><p>He clenched his eyes closed and tried to remember, had he read anything that would explain this. All that came was more information as if some sort of mental dam had just been broken. There was a sharp pain in his mind, as all the knowledge came flooding back. He needed to stop it, to retake control of his own brain. But it was painful, unbelievably painful.</p><p>The sword fell from his hands as his knees gave out from under him. He clutched his head, pleading for it to stop. The edges of his senses began to fade, the darkness took hold of his consciousness. Perhaps it was better that way.</p><hr/><p>Robin should have been suspicious. There was no shouting, no panic, just a calm little group of men calling for his attention in the dead of night.</p><p>He followed the scared up sailor around the deck. Robin meanwhile looked up at the gleaming stars and shimmering mood hidden behind the clouds.</p><p>He had heard the door to his cabin open again and assumed that was Chrom with his coat. But his footsteps stopped suddenly, and Robin didn't turn around. He didn't need to; it was obvious why he was out here. Robin didn't take his eyes off the clouds, watching, waiting for them to pass. "Well"</p><p>The sailors said nothing but continued walking, and Robin made sure to keep a step behind him. There seemed to be something happening behind him, nothing too crazy judging by the sound or lack thereof. "Are you going to say anything?"</p><p>As the full moon peeked out from behind the clouds, Robin's senses triggered. He was now suddenly aware of the tension in the air. And his hand moved to his belt, but he had no tome or sword. He had been resting and realized too late that he had removed everything to treat his wound.</p><p>It happened too quickly. The crewmate he had been following had turned suddenly and unsheathed his weapon.</p><p>Robin's body reacted before he could register the attack. Rolling out of the way and turning to face his chambers where Chrom was being held down by two other men, a knife at his throat. '<em>So that's what was taking him.'</em></p><p>They made eye contact, and Chrom kicked something his way only to get the blade pressed a little deeper into his neck.</p><p>Robin rolled again, this time managing to grab whatever Chrom had tossed his way.</p><p>He was hoping for his cutlass but decided a tome was better than nothing.</p><p>He watched the mutinous dog struggle to pull his blade from the mast and took his chance to begin to conger whatever he could do with the tome he was given. The circular engravings and almost pristine condition of the tome told Robin exactly which tome it was. '<em>Not ideal, but it'll do.'</em></p><p>The cremate turned to face him, and it was only now that Robin realized how many people this little operation involved. '<em>At least it'll make a good demonstration.'</em></p><p>He opened the tome and could already feel its energy pulse through his right hand. The larger man darted forward, but Robin sidestepped him this time, not wanting to get too far from him. The shadows pooled before him as he whispered a silent prayer to his god.</p><p>The other men watched as their captain raised his arm and seemed to summon shadows to coil around the leader of the rebellion. They watched as he fell to his knees, thair captain seeming to radiate energy he didn't have.</p><p>The sailor collapsed before their captain, frail and weak. Robin took his blade from his limp hands and turned to the rest of the men. "So," he raised the response to the men around Chrom, "a mutiny is it?"</p><p>Before the two men could react, Robin threw the blade just over their heads, startling them, they lost their hold on Chrom temporarily. All it took was a sharp kick to the one with the knife to free him from their trap. And with that obstruction out of the way, he tossed the man at his back over his shoulder, slamming him against the other before he could regain balance.</p><p>Chrom, now free from his captors, tossed Robin his coat and cutlass, whom he had dropped upon being ambushed.</p><p>Robin caught the coat and tossed it on before taking the thunder tome out of his pocket "well, go on" Chrom unsheathed his own blade by his side, as thunder crackled in Robin's palm "try it and see where it gets you."</p><p>A few took steps back, while three thought themselves bold enough. Robin tossed them each a small ball of electricity, stunning them temporarily. Chrom was faster on his feet and managed to bash them with the flat of his blade, sending them to the ground.</p><p>The last four didn't get to fight as Robin had slammed them into the wall and railed with a strong blast of wind.</p><p>Robin turned his gaze to the shadows, and if he squinted, he could see someone watching, but if they meant him harm, they didn't seem interested in fighting. He blinked, and they had vanished, his instincts relaxing. He turned to Chrom, who sheathed his sword. "What do we do with them?"</p><p>Robin closed his tome and tucked it away "toss them off, I don't want them causing more trouble."</p><p>Chrom winced, "won't they freeze?"</p><p>"Then toss them all in a dingy and cut them down," Robin sighed, rubbing the back of his right hand to keep it from pulsing '<em>i've gotten soft.'</em></p><p>Chrom smiled at him, satisfied with his mercy. "They'll find their way, I'm sure."</p><p>Robin looked back up at Chrom and couldn't help but turn up the corners of his mouth; he wasn't a murderer, he didn't have to be.</p><hr/><p>Shulk groaned as a hand shook him awake. "Are you alright?" It took Shulk a moment to recognize the voice as Robin's. And an even longer time to register as having fainted on the floor of the captain's quarters.</p><p>Shulk felt tired and confused, but thankful whatever had forced him into unconsciousness had stopped. "I should be fine."</p><p>"Well, that's good" Robin held out a hand and helped Shulk to his feet. "Did they get to you too?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Robin looked him over. "Nothing." a moment passed before Robin's serious demeanor changed, and he smiled, "any reason you were on my floor."</p><p>"Umm," Shulk scratched the back of his head. Why had he passed out? A brief flash of memories darted through his mind, a temporary migraine. He looked back up at the pirate, "are you Grimleal?"</p><p>He expected Robin to be offended, "Is that it?" Instead, he grinned, playful, and teasing, "you fainted out of fear?"</p><p>Shulk panicked. "No, no!" he put a hand to his temple but tried to hide the pain. "I… just remembered seeing your tattoo and ..."</p><p>At the mention of his tattoo, Robin turned to Chrom. "Chrom be a dear and check on the other kids," Shulk could hear the genuine concern in his voice. "just in case."</p><p>There was a sudden alarm then went off in Chrom's expression as if just realizing something. "Got it," and he was gone, his hand resting on his blade. He seemed on high alert, leaving Shulk to wonder if something had happened while he had been napping.</p><p>Robin didn't look back at Shulk but kept his eyes on the door, "So seeing my tattoo gave you flashbacks?" he peered at Shulk from the corner of his eye. There was a darkness in his eyes when he added, "you didn't fight in the war, did you?"</p><p>This caught him by surprise, "No, sir." he would have been 12 when the war ended. If he could barely hold a sword now, he would have been eaten alive on any battlefield then. "I grew up in Mira my whole life."</p><p>The darkness in Robin's gaze faded quickly. "People in Mira don't talk about the Grimleal. They're scared of the name itself" he raised an eyebrow at Shulk "how did you learn of it?"</p><p>"I … just remembered," Shulk looked down at his hands, "as if I've always known."</p><p>"You looked surprised when you healed me too," Robin subconsciously rested a hand on where his wound used to be "did you know that would work?"</p><p>Shulk couldn't look up to meet his gaze. "No, Sir," it was a gamble, one he knew he could win but had no proof he could do it. "it was like an instinct."</p><p>There was a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "that blade of yours, it reminded me of ..." at the abrupt ending, Shulk met the other's gaze, only to be witness a pensive and almost concerned expression. "where did you get it?"</p><p>"I was found with it," he reached down and picked it up from where he must have dropped it earlier. He stared at the clear glass at its hilt. "Dunban said it's all I had when they found me."</p><p>"I see," Robin let go of his shoulder, and Shulk met his gaze again, "it has a mystical aura."</p><p>He sighed, "I know I've been studying the Monado since I could write." his breath hitched.</p><p>"Monado?" he was only vaguely aware Robin was still talking. Where had he heard that? Shulk stared at the blade again. Panic searing his mind, another mental dam threatening to burst open … All he had to do was look for the memories.</p><p>"Shulk?" the hand was on his shoulder again, shaking him out of his thoughts, "are you alright?"</p><p>He shook his head; he wouldn't make that mistake twice. "I'm sorry it's just I have gone 14 years of my life, not knowing what my relic was called and ..."</p><p>"It suddenly came to you," Robin finished, a reassuring pat on the back convinced him to ignore the nagging in his mind.</p><p>"Yeah," he clipped the blade back to his back. "I must sound crazy, don't I?"</p><p>He looked back up, expecting Robin to agree and laugh. But he didn't. "There is a power I sense in you," he noticed Robin rest his left hand over his right "a strong archaic power" "but I can tell you that I sense an even greater power from that blade" his eyes flicked to the handle at Shulk's back.</p><p>"What kind of power?"</p><p>"In simple words," he took a deep breath, "I suppose, it would have to be divine."</p><p>"How?" now that he thought about it, it wasn't that surprising. He had studied it for years, and if he was sure of anything, it was that it was, without doubt, one of a kind.</p><p>"I'm not quite sure," Robin shrugged "it's just a feeling I get."</p><p>Shulk's gaze fell back to the floor. "I don't know if that makes me feel better" he closed his eyes, hoping to push away the temptation in his mind "or more confused."</p><p>"Who can say," Robin stood, and Shulk only realized they had been sitting, "you should head to bed, and try and get some sleep."</p><p>Shulk stared up at Robin. "How can sleep after there is so much I still don't understand."</p><p>"You'll have to make do," Shulk came to his feet with Robin help "call your band in tomorrow. We'll have to change course."</p><p>Now Shulk knew something had happened. "Wait, why?"</p><p>"Crew's getting a little antsy" Robin pulled the coat closer as if suddenly aware of the cold. "I think it would be safer we port soon."</p><p>He walked Shulk to the door, and only then did Shulk realize he hadn't answered "Alright." he would have to get some sleep.</p><hr/><p>Chrom leaned against the railing on the main deck. The others were fine and sleeping soundly. He didn't want to risk waking them and had decided to wait outside. Robin probably wanted to ask if Shulk was attacked, perhaps being alone would ease Shulk's nerves.</p><p>He turned when he heard the door open, "your friends seem to be fast asleep" he didn't want to add the word "safe" to that in case Shulk was still nervous. To his relief, however, Shulk didn't seem a mess anymore, perhaps a bit more confused but better than when they found him.</p><p>The two watched Shulk close the door leading to the other rooms, but after he faded from sight.</p><p>Robin was leaning against the door frame, and it took Chrom a moment to realize he was waiting for him to come inside. "Well, what happened to him?" he finally asked.</p><p>"Thankfully, whatever he's going through, it's not of the Crew's making" Robin closed the door behind him "what of the others?"</p><p>"It seems no hostages were taken," Chrom removed his pauldron and cape "whatever happened tonight, it seems to have only involved those ten."</p><p>"Well, that's good" Robin hung his coat over the back of his desk chair and returned to his spot on the bed. "I'm calling a meeting tomorrow."</p><p>"You're changing course?"</p><p>"Exactly," Robin kicked off his boots and grabbed the blankets before turning to Chrom, "while it was just the ten tonight, whos to say the tension won't consume the entire ship."</p><p>Chrom loosened his collar and unrolled his sleeves. "Don't worry. We'll make it through this"</p><p>"Chrom ..."</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>Robin propped his head with his hand and sighed, "You'll need to keep an eye on those kids."</p><p>Chrom looked on in disbelief. "But they aren't making any trouble."</p><p>Robin shook his head, "I mean after we dock."</p><p>He crawled in next to Robin. "But ... Robin," there was a pain in his chest.</p><p>"They need you," Robin held his gaze. "Shulk is starting something heavy, Corrin is a mess of nerves, and the other lad."</p><p>"Akira?" Chrom corrected</p><p>Robin continued, "He's skilled, but I don't know if he'll be able to handle Corrin if something happens."</p><p>He took Robin's hand, "But what about you?"</p><p>"Chrom" Robin only smiled, a soft chuckle escaped before he spoke up again. "I'm a grown man and a pirate Captain, I can handle myself."</p><p>"But like you said," he tried, "the crew is getting restless, what if next time I'm not here to-" Robin placed a single finger to his lips.</p><p>"That Girl, Lucina," he started "she is someone very important," there was an intensity that Chrom had only ever seen a few times before.</p><p>"They will need help," he started. "Akira is skilled but not a heavy hitter, Corrin is powerful but also unpredictable, and Shulk is not only new to all this but an absolute mystery as far as his powers are concerned" Robin was always good at reading people.</p><p>He knew the group wasn't ideal; they needed someone strong to act as their shield. But a group like thair's was manageable … unless "You think someone's after them?"</p><p>Robin nodded, "I don't think someone like her would be on this journey because she felt like traveling" he shook his head. "I've heard the rumors, they blame Plegia, but that move would be far too risky for them right now" there was a certainty that told Chrom, Robin was very concerned. "something was after her and judging by the fact she has made it this far I don't think they know where she is," he caressed his cheek, and Chrom knew what he was going to say before he said it. "they are going to need you, more then I will"</p><p>Chrom pulled him close. He didn't want to leave Robin, not yet, not so soon. But Robin was right. If something was after them, they would need more than what they had. He held Robin tightly. "I … understand."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ forgive the Mutiny scene for being slow … I wrote that one … I'm not really good with fight scenes. That's why I have Wolfy write them, and I work on everything else. … also sorry about the Chrobin, but I can't help myself also on that topic I'll be taking next week off but I'll post Chapter 14 the week after that, sorry about the inconvenience</p><p>~ S. Rosy (9/23/20)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Blood of Dragons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucina made sure to keep close to Corrin. Shulk had told them that the captain wanted to speak with them. Shulk and Akira stood behind them to act as makeshift guards. Although she doubted anyone would want to mess with them after the incident.</p><p>She had noticed that Corrin was still a bit on edge, although she was exhausted after yesterday's events.</p><p>Shulk, meanwhile, was acting completely off. She knew he had been fine after the battle but come morning, he seemed distracted and lost in thought.</p><p>The group entered the captain's quarters just after breakfast. Upon entering the room, Chrom was leaning over Robin's shoulder as the two overlooked a map. Robin's eyes seemed to be trying to burn a hole in the middle of the ocean while Chrom looked slightly confused.</p><p>Lucina was the first to speak, "You sent for us?"</p><p>"Ah right," Robin turned his attention towards the group, "come in, come in."</p><p>Shulk closed the door behind them. Corrin seemed to relax a bit, although she still seemed a bit stressed. "What was it you wanted to talk about."</p><p>"As of last night, I have come to realize the security on this ship must be called into question," he straightened "last night, there was a mutiny attempt, I say attempt as I had snuffed it out before it could get too dangerous."</p><p>"Either way, you are all in danger, and so Robin was planning on changing course," Chrom cut in.</p><p>Shulk tilted his head to one side, "why would they do that? You never explained that." She remembered that Shulk had spoken with the captain last night, although Shulk did mention something about having suddenly passed out</p><p>Robin waved dismissively, "rising tensions perhaps" Akira had told her about the crew saying something about Robin's leadership and something about Chrom all while she was up at the crow's nest with Geri "between my recent decisions and the incident with K. Rool, they may have finally had enough of me."</p><p>Corrin spoke out suddenly, tears starting in her eyes, "this is all my fault."</p><p>Lucina opened her mouth to say something. This wasn't Corrin's fault, and she knew it. But Robin spoke up first, much to her surprise. "it's fine, dragon blood can be overwhelming at times" the look he gave Corrin was one of true empathy. "don't apologize for what is out of your control, it is in your nature and you were put under stress if anything I should be apologizing for allowing the situation to get that severe"</p><p>"What?" Corrin was left confused, and in truth, Lucina was too.</p><p>Robin's gaze went from Corrin back to Lucina "anyways, while I would've like to get you as close to your destination as possible, the incident from last night has made me question the validity of being able to get there in one piece."</p><p>Shulk shook his head. "Why are you telling us this?"</p><p>"We will be docking in Alliance territory," Robin continued ignoring Shulk's questioning.</p><p>"From there, I will be escorting you myself," Chrom finished resting a hand on the hilt of the sword at his side "to make up for the inconvenience."</p><p>Akira had been studying the map this whole time and decided to cut into the conversation, "Wait, Alliance territory? that's far more up North, why can't we dock in Plegia?"</p><p>"That's out of the question," there was an edge in Robin's voice she wasn't used to hearing. "Chrom, you do know how to get to Ylisstol from the docks, correct?"</p><p>"... well umm …" Chrom seemed far less confident now "not really," he rubbed at the back on his neck, "but I'll get you there, no need to worry" his determination had returned for that last statement.</p><p>Robin grimaced, then turned his gaze towards Shulk and Akira. "How good are you boys with maps?" the two of them only looked at each other hopelessly. Robin shook his head. "I suppose you would need a navigator then."</p><p>She was about to point out she could read a map and wasn't too bad at directions when Akira spoke up, "Are you offering?"</p><p>Robin looked around the group. Of course, he could read a map. He was a captain and a fine sailor at that. "I should get this off my back before I make any real promises" she wasn't quite sure if that was confirmation, but then she noticed something in his eyes.</p><p>Robin took a deep breath and looked directly at her. "I am fully aware of who you are," her heart started pounding, '<em>uh oh'</em> she wasn't quite sure why this a bad thing, but if what Geri said was true, Robin could be dangerous. "Princess Lucina of Ylisse, daughter of Cornelius Lowell, and younger sister to the Current Exalt."</p><p>Her heart sank, was it possible that he knew this whole time, had he just guessed it by her name? "How do you know all that?"</p><p>There seemed to be a coldness in Robin's eyes, a darkness she knows she hadn't seen before. "I recognize that mark in your eye" '<em>How would he recognize the Brand of the Exalt?'</em> her stomach was doing flips. Robin made no mention of ever coming to Ylisstol, and that was the only place the mark was on display.</p><p>"Also, I feel I should bring to your attention that I am of Plegian descent and of the Grimleal faith" the realization hit her harder then she had expected '<em>he's from Plegia … then, of course, he would remember my father's brand, after all, he's done'</em> she imagined her father's banners flying through a burning city, it wouldn't surprise her if the Brand of the Exalt became a hated symbol in Plegia.</p><p>Robin's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "I offer my services to you and your friends but should this knowledge bring you discomfort of any kind, then that would be the end of it" he offered her a hand, "but know, I will spend every coin I own to get you the finest guide to Ylisstol I can" her eyes widened with hopeful awe '<em>he's still offering to help?'</em></p><p>The next words that came out of her mouth happened so quickly she wasn't sure for who they were for. "I trust him," she turned to Corrin, who snapped out of her earlier daze to give an approving nod. She turned to Akira, who waved dismissively as if saying <em>I don't really care. </em>Shulk only gave an approving smile, "it seems we're all in agreement."</p><p>"then it's decided" at his words, she took his hand and shook it eagerly. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Lucina" she couldn't help but grin.</p><hr/><p>Corrin's tail whirled around behind her. She had been burning with questions ever since the meeting. She waited quietly for the ship's activity to ease up before peeking out her door to see if she heard something. She had been stewing in these questions for days, and finally, she would get her answers. Or at least she hoped she would get the chance to answer them before they landed.</p><p>Chrom walked by the door and caught her, staring, "do you need a guard?"</p><p>She was too embarrassed to ask Shulk or Akira, and while she enjoyed Lucina's company, the young Princess had taken to lurking around Akira. Shulk had locked himself in the room, and while he made for good company normally, he had been burying himself in his notes lately, and it was almost like she was alone in the room again if she drowned out the occasional scratching of his pen.</p><p>Timidly she nodded, and he motioned for her to come out. The deck was thankfully lacking activity, and the captain was at the wheel.</p><p>"Needed some fresh air?" Chrom asked, hoping to make casual conversation</p><p>"Yes, umm," she began to mess with her ribbon again. "I was hoping to speak to Robin."</p><p>"Funny," he chuckled a bit before smiling, "he told me to keep an eye out, said you might have questions about something."</p><p>Robin seemed to just know things, and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing yet. She tried to smile, "Yeah," she hoped it didn't come out too forced.</p><p>At last, they came to the front of the ship, "Well, have fun" he made a motion that she assumed would have been some encouraging physical contact but stopped himself partway and opted instead for a smile and a wave.</p><p>He walked back down the steps and leaned against the railing of the stairs. She assumed he wanted to give them space as a form of privacy. However, he stayed just close enough for her to feel comfortable knowing there was someone on guard.</p><p>She timidly approached Robin, who seemed to be staring off into the sea.</p><p>"Umm, Captain"</p><p>"Robin is fine," he waved a hand. She's sure he's had to correct them a thousand times by now.</p><p>"let me guess," he smirked and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "you're here about my comments from the meeting, correct?"</p><p>She was vaguely are of her tail's anxious flailing "Yes, I wanted to know what you meant earlier."</p><p>He reached down and did something to the wheel before leaning against it. "We're very similar, you and I."</p><p>"We are?"</p><p>He brought his right glove up and tugged it off. "While my blood isn't as pure as yours," now she was able to see the back of his hand. And while she didn't recognize the tattoo, she did faintly register the aura around him, and how it seemed comforting. "it still burns from time to time."</p><p>It took her a second to process what he was saying "Wait! Then that means," somehow she recognized this aura, "You're part dragon."</p><p>It was a shot in the dark, but it felt less like a question and more like she was stating a fact. And judging by the smirk that returned to his face, she had landed a bullseye "In a manner of speaking, yes."</p><p>But something still confused her. "I thought you were human?" why had she only felt this now, only once the glove had come off.</p><p>"I am," he put the glove back on, and she suddenly felt alone again "it is said that all Plegians share the blood of our god, The Fell Dragon, Grima."</p><p>"Everyone in Plegia?" somehow, that seemed impossible.</p><p>"While it's present in most Plegians, its strongest with my sister and me," he started tugging at the edge of the glove absentmindedly "it's been the pride of my family for generations."</p><p>She tilted her head in confusion while he continued, "While I myself can't transform, I can still lose myself in that power."</p><p>Robin losing control of himself like she had seemed so odd. "But you seem so composed."</p><p>"I was trained as a child," he nodded. "I was taught to use my blood to conder spells, summon the power from within myself," he stared off into the vast blue ocean. She could almost feel his anger "my father would have been in awe at what you did back there."</p><p>The thought of someone finding what she did beautiful made her stomach turn. "But I hurt so many people."</p><p>"As did he," there was an edge in his voice "have you heard of the Ylisse Plegian War?" and it was in his eyes too. That deep darkness that she had seen in Lucina when she talked about her father.</p><p>"Lucina mentioned it briefly."</p><p>"My father had a hand in that war, a powerful man who wanted the name Plegia to strike fear into all who heard it" he shook his head, and she knew he was struggling to wrestle down a powerful emotion. "our blood was to be harnessed and concerned so we may act as beacons of what Plegia was capable of"</p><p>She didn't remember her father at all. Her mother was a vague memory, but there was nothing that told her she had a father. "I couldn't imagine what that must be like."</p><p>Robin shook his head again. "Consider that a blessing," and when he looked back up to meet her gaze, he seemed better. "However, I was also trained by my mother to quell the fire," there was a fondness in his voice at that last part "if you ever fear you are losing control, seek me out. I will aid you as best I can"</p><p>She wasn't aware she had tears, somehow she felt like someone understood her struggle in only for a moment. "Thank you."</p><p>He stopped leaning against the wheel. "I need to fetch something from my room," he made a motion that directed her attention to the wheel "care to man the wheel while I'm away."</p><p>"Of course," she didn't need to think about it.</p><p>Before he left, he peeked over his shoulder, "And don't you worry about the crew" there was a smug grin on his face as he added, "they know not to come out at night anymore."</p><p>After he left, she looked at the wheel only to realize it had something in place to keep it from moving. She didn't need to be there, yet there was something about what Robin said that caught her attention. '<em>Why mention the crew at all?'</em> she stared out at the ocean and remembered the faint piece it brought her '<em>he really is quite nice.'</em></p><hr/><p>Back at the harbor, the remnants of the Pirates of Grim were preparing for their next voyage.</p><p>There was some deliberation over what their next course of action would be now that their captain was gone, but Gari helpfully suggested making the trip back towards the Hyrulian seas. Supposedly, some conflict was beginning to stir between the Kingdom of Hyrule and the exiled king of the Gerardo tribe. And where there was conflict, there was opportunity for people like them.</p><p>So it was that they decided to take the Hylian's advice. After a few days to make repairs and stock up on supplies, they would set off to new horizons full of promise and riches.</p><p>Or so might've been the case if <em>she </em>hadn't shown up.</p><p>It was late in the evening when she came aboard. The crew was winding down from a long day of prep work. A few of them had already left to go relax at the local tavern. One particular crew member was trying to cover up an image of a cat that had been rudely carved into their ship when he noticed her. The moment he did, all thoughts of his current task fled his mind.</p><p>Calling the woman before him gorgeous would have been a gross understatement. Tall and beautiful, the open jacket and form-fitting trousers she wore did little to hide her generous curves. Eyes as blue as the ocean and hair as golden as the sun completed the angelic vision, not that the pirate spent much time looking anywhere above her shoulders.</p><p>The only things standing contrast to this picturesque image were the whip the woman had strapped to her side, and a single, polished orange pauldron adorning one of her shoulders. Even those did little to detract from her overall allure, though.</p><p>With all the eagerness of a man dying of thirst, the pirate strolled up to the picture of beauty to make his move. Weeks of being stuck at sea with that creepy-but-attractive dragon-spawn had left him and his mates deprived, and he wasn't about to pass up such a fine lass being delivered right to their doorstep.</p><p>The woman turned to him as he approached. He grinned. "'Ey there, Sweet-cheeks. Wot brings a fine thing like you to our ship?"</p><p>The pony-tailed woman looked around. Some of his mates stopped what they were doing to check out what the small commotion was. Or rather, to check out the fine lady causing it.</p><p>"…Is this all of you?" Her voice was deep and smokey, fitting the beauty before him wonderfully. Oh yeah, he was already in love.</p><p>"Yeah, pretty much." He answered without much thought, his mind elsewhere. "Couple o' guys below deck, couple more went out ta snag a drink." The pirate leaned forward a bit, not even bothering to hide where he was looking. "Though we lost a few on the way here. A few more bailed the minute we docked, so we're a bit short-handed. Could use a few more… <em>hands </em>if yer interested."</p><p>He wasn't looking at her hands.</p><p>The woman let out a dismissive puff of air. "Is this all? I expected the Pirates of Grim to be more impressive-looking. Or to at least have the manpower to back up their reputation."</p><p>The man's grin fell. "I, Uh… Huh…?" He glanced up at their mast to confirm that they did indeed lower their jolly roger, so the locals shouldn't have been able to peg them as pirates, much less which pirates they were.</p><p>The woman answered his unasked question. "Your friends at the bar were kind enough to fill me in. Alcohol is quite the lip-loosener."</p><p>The pirate laughed. "Ahaha! So it was the boys wot sent ya here! Those scoundrels! I'll owe 'em a drink next time we go out fo' sure!"</p><p>"That won't be happening." The woman said plainly, once again cutting his good mood short. "Your 'boys' have been left with the local authorities. You won't be going out with them again anytime soon."</p><p>"W-What? You tellin' me ya snitched on 'em?"</p><p>"No, I turned them in." He and his onlooking crewmates were taken aback by that. The woman removed her whip and swept her gaze over everyone on deck. "Samus Aran, bounty hunter. Come quietly."</p><p>The pirate shared an uncertain glance with his mates. Surely this woman wasn't serious? Even if she handled a couple of drunkards at the bar, there was no way a lone woman could take out every man on the ship.</p><p>He glanced back at the woman, Samus. She was stoically holding her weapon, awaiting their response.</p><p>The pirate gritted his teeth. Damned woman! She had another thing coming if she thought she could talk high and mighty like that with the dreaded Grim Pirates! He'd enjoy putting her where she belonged! He reached for his sword to do just that-</p><p>Her boot in his face was the last thing he saw before getting knocked out.</p><hr/><p>Akira watched him out of the corner of his eye. It was clear at the meeting that Chrom was completely blindsided by Robin's sudden request. He eyed the ex-pirate as he stared over their map.</p><p>"You know," he started, "if you have a question, you can just ask," the mage locked his gaze, and he knew he'd been caught.</p><p>'<em>He has sharp instincts, good to know'</em> Akira took the seat by the fire as Robin rolled up the map. "What was with the sudden change of heart?"</p><p>"Change of heart?"</p><p>"You were a Captain of a fine ship and had a pretty powerful reputation-"</p><p>Robin cut off his sentence with a swat at the air, "Your point?"</p><p>Akira sighed, "Why'd you give it up?" he glanced at Robin from the corner of his eye "it's not Chrom, is it?"</p><p>"I didn't become the Grim Captain for fame" Robin pulled the collar of his coat up as if pulling at a hood that no longer was there "it was a byproduct of survival."</p><p>"Becoming a pirate maybe," Akira tilted his head just slightly so that Robin could see more of him, "but becoming an infamous Pirate Captain?" he smirked. "Yeah, sorry, but I don't buy it."</p><p>"I didn't wish to go down this path" Robin looked down but then gazed at Akira from the corner of his eye "although, a thief like you would know a lot about that."</p><p>"Thief? Me?" Akira gained surprise, trying to hide his smile '<em>very good instincts.'</em></p><p>"Don't play coy," Robin growled. "I've seen what you can do. You're not just any petty crook. You're an expert, must how quite the career."</p><p>'<em>And he's sharp too, quite the talent' </em>He leaned back, clearly not hiding the smirk on his face "fine, you caught me, I have dabbled in less than savory parts of society."</p><p>Robin hunched over a bit more, resting his chin in his palm. "You act so proud."</p><p>"Why shouldn't I be" he was grinning. "I bring revolution, I stand for freedom, a rebellious spirit, a rising star, and a DAMN good thief."</p><p>Robin only closed his eyes, he gave a defeated sigh before speaking again. "I wish I had your enthusiasm for the path I walk."</p><p>'<em>Interesting' </em>Akira leaned forward as Robin straitened.</p><p>"I have fallen from grace," he looked down at his hands, "if my sister could see me now..."</p><p>"Your sister?" Akira prompted, but Robin only shook his head</p><p>"I was once someone of high status back in Plegia," Robin clenched his fist. "I came to Ylisse hoping to help ease the tension between our two opposing nations, but"</p><p>'High status? … interesting.'</p><p>"Everything that confirmed my identity stolen. Meanwhile, I was left to die at sea," he brought that fist to his chest "by Grima's mercy, I found myself washed ashore and alive."</p><p>He knew this part of the story. "That's when you met Chrom, yes?"</p><p>The tension in his grip loosened. "For me, the one good thing that came from Ylisse is that man," he shook his head.</p><p>"Shortly after we split ways, I got my hands on a vessel with the full intention of going back home, but ..."</p><p>"But?" Akira raised an eyebrow</p><p>"I abandoned my home to come to Ylisse, and with nothing to show for my efforts, I would be going back a failure" he hung his head.</p><p>Realization his Akira a little harder then he had expected. '<em>So he didn't go back'</em> he clutched at his scarf subconsciously.</p><p>"I named my ship the Black Dragon so it can be my guide" there was a hint of anger in his voice. "I didn't intend for my crew to turn my own god against me" Akira could clearly hear the conflict in Robin's voice, anger and sorrow bound together by outrage and shame "when they found out I was Grimleal, there was no stopping them from calling us the Pirates of Grim."</p><p>'<em>The term Grimleal is plagued by fear. Any pirate would be foolish not to use that to their advantage.'</em></p><p>His voice dropped. "I dirtied my hands because I didn't want to die, but I didn't want to drag my people, my faith, My God, down with me" the pain in his voice started to overpower his words until it suddenly lost all its energy "this was my shame … I couldn't go back after that."</p><p>There was a sorrowful silence that filled the air.</p><p>"Is that why you're coming?" Akira finally broke the tension "to make ties with Ylisse again?"</p><p>"Not entirely," Robin wiped his eyes, Akira hadn't noticed the tears "as I've told you, there was a mutiny on the ship the night before we had our little meeting."</p><p>'<em>Ah, so that's it,'</em> Akira nodded. "So you couldn't stay there anymore."</p><p>"Besides," Robin shook his head, "I love the sea, but I never liked being a pirate."</p><p>The tension had faded, and Akira was relieved to see Robin had pulled himself together rather quickly. "By the way."</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>He needed to get this out of the way now before it became a problem. "I'm going to be sleeping in the tent next to yours-"</p><p>Robin gave another dismissive wave. "Say no more" he tried to suppress a smirk and but he did chuckle a bit. "Chrom shared with me your complaints from the ship."</p><p>"Alright," with any hope he'll be able to get some sleep tonight.</p><hr/><p>With a dull thud, the last conscious member of the Pirates of Grim hit the floor, incapacitated.</p><p>Samus let out an almost disappointed sigh. That had been… pathetically easy, frankly. These men didn't at all live up to the reputation of the Pirates of Grim. She had come aboard expecting dark magic and cunning fiends, but these guys were the kind of ragtag hoodlums you could find anywhere. She was beginning to think these men were just posers, mooching off the renown of their betters.</p><p>Well, regardless, her job was done, for whatever it was worth. Their identities would be sorted out once she turned them in and collected her reward. She had some misgivings about turning in a supposedly Grimleal bunch of pirates so close to Plegian territory, but a generous bounty was still being offered, and it seemed unlikely that these incompetent fools were Grimleal anyway. Plus, escorting the whole crew over to another nation for pay would be more trouble than it was worth.</p><p>She set about searching the ship for some rope she could use to restrain this lot with that in mind. She was about to return her whip to her side when slow clapping sounded out from above.</p><p>Readying her weapon once more, Samus followed the source of the noise to find what looked to be another pirate, standing high up on the yardarm of the central mast. He must've been hiding up in the crow's nest, watching her as she dispatched the others.</p><p>The newcomer ended his slow applause. In an impressive feat of acrobatics, the man leaped off the mast, using the rigging to land himself safely on the upper deck. Closer up, Samus was able to get a better read on him. Lean, pale, looked to be Hylian. He didn't look as rough and rugged as the rest of the crew, but if anything, that only made him more dangerous. Especially considering the nimble display, he just performed.</p><p>He looked down at her with a shrewd smile. "Bravo, bravo. Quite the impressive show you put on."</p><p>"Are you another member of this crew?" Samus demanded, getting straight to the point.</p><p>The lean man gave a dramatic sigh. "After a fashion, as embarrassing as it is to admit any relation to <em>this</em> utter trash."</p><p>She steadily edged closer. "You wouldn't be their captain, would you?" The white hair checked out, but nothing else about this man matched the Grim Captain's physical descriptions. That might not mean much if the rumors of dark magic were true, though.</p><p>The man gave a slow chuckle. "Afraid not. Seems the dear captain has set out for new pastures. I certainly can't blame him, not when his crew consisted of such worthless scum."</p><p>"G-Gari…!" Croaked one of the crew members she had downed. He had regained consciousness, though it seemed he only had enough strength to prop himself up on a shaky elbow. "W-What the 'ell 're ya playin' at…?"</p><p>The pale Hylian "Gari" dropped his jovial façade. Out of thin air, a dagger manifested in his hand. Coldly, almost dismissively, he chucked the dagger at the confused pirate, whose eyes widened in shock and fear.</p><p>In an instant, Samus lashed out with her whip, knocking the dagger away mid-flight. "Gari" huffed, but otherwise didn't seem all that upset.</p><p>She moved like a flash. With a display of acrobatics that matched Gari's earlier display in impressiveness, Samus was on the upper deck in the blink of an eye. She ducked under several more thrown daggers, diving into a roll, brought her to Gari's feet, and lashed out with a high kick.</p><p>The pirate leaned back impressively far to avoid the blow. From her position on the ground, she twisted, trying to kick his feet out from under him, but the impressively flexible pirate flipped backward, doing several cartwheels to put some distance between them.</p><p>She wasn't about to let him off easy. Her whip lashed out, wrapping itself around one of his arms. Rather than reeling him in, she allowed herself to be pulled to him, soaring at him with a flying dropkick. At the last second, he manifested a cutlass in his offhand and thrust at her mid-flight. With her own impressive display of flexibility and dexterity, she twisted herself out of the blade's path. She felt it graze the metal of her pauldron as her drop kick landed, sending Gari tumbling into the ship's railing.</p><p>She went in for another kick, hoping to knock him out before he recovered. Just before her strike landed, however, Gari vanished, leaving diamond-like runes in his wake.</p><p>Another round of applause sounded out from the other side of the ship, where Gari now stood.</p><p>Samus narrowed her eyes. "I know who you are." This mysterious man didn't match the description of any known members of the Grim Pirates, but his appearance, demeanor, and fighting style brought to mind another prominent criminal she'd heard tale of. "You're Ghirahim. Self-proclaimed 'Demon Lord', and underling of the exiled Gerardo King Ganondorf. Am I wrong?"</p><p>The pale man's lips curled up into a smile. He threw his arms out wide. "Hit the nail on the head! Indeed! I am Lord Ghirahim! Dancer of decimation and weaver of woe!." He brushed some hair out of his face in an intentionally flamboyant manner. "And might I say, what a relief it is to finally let reveal my true self after these weary weeks of acting as a common ruffian with the rest of these low lives." He gestured to the defeated Grim Pirates, who were left gaping in shock at his revelation. "Such a stifling performance, pretending to be something I'm so clearly not. Bottling up one's true self isn't good for the heart, you know."</p><p>The newly revealed Ghirahim let out a long sigh of relief. If anything, Samus only became more tense. This man was notoriously dangerous. Whether or not he was actually a demon was debatable, but the tales of his magical prowess and skill with blades were well-known. As was his penchant for trickery. All in the name of his master.</p><p>"What business does Ganondorf's right-hand have with the Grim Pirates?"</p><p>Ghirahim's smile dropped. "Nothing anymore." Before she could press for more, he vanished from sight again. He reappeared on top of a stack of crates the crew had been stocking before her arrival. "My master requires allies. Powerful ones. So when we heard tales of such a dreaded man as the Grim Captain sailing near our waters, how could we <em>not </em>desire a partnership?" Another flash and he was leaning off the rigging, holding a hand out theatrically. "Imagine it! A pact between dark lords, both shunned by society, combining their awesome might to carve out the world they desire!"</p><p>He vanished again, and this time Samus lost track of him entirely. She prepared herself for an attack, but none came. Instead, another sigh drew her attention behind her. Ghirahim was sitting on the railing, his legs hanging over the edge and looking forlorn. "But alas, the heralded Grim Captain has his own agenda, it seems. I infiltrated this ship with the purpose of recruiting him, so when it became clear that he would not join our cause, I became positively downtrodden! So much valuable time wasted. I thought at the very least I could take the crew as a consolation prize, but…" He glared in the direction of the crew. "The useless fools couldn't even stage a mutiny properly."</p><p>Despite how vulnerable he looked at the moment, Samus held her ground. She had little doubt he would simply vanish again if she launched an assault.</p><p>Sure enough, but he disappeared again. She caught sight of him back down on the main deck. He stood over one of his former "allies," sword in hand. Rather than wielding it threateningly, he simply held it in front of him, as if admiring it. "Yes, I figured even cannon fodder like them had their uses. So I turned them to treachery. Subtly, of course. Just put the idea into their little brains that their captain doesn't have their best interests in mind. If all had gone to plan, the Grim Captain would've been out of my hair, and I'd be carting these ruffians back home to begin their new lives as servants to my master. But instead, the dear captain walked out on his own, and this miserable lot got bested by a lone bounty hunter. The epitome of useless they are."</p><p>The pirate he was standing overlooked up at him, betrayed. Samus almost felt bad for him, but she wasn't about to waste her pity on someone who pillaged and killed for a living, so she pressed on. "Are you upset that I ruined your plans?"</p><p>Ghirahim raised an eyebrow. "Upset?" He vanished again, this time reappearing up on the yardarm, his hands grasping at his hair. "<em>Of COURSE, I'm upset! I'm FURIOUS! OUTRAGED! I feel like the sheer amount of loathing I feel is threatening to seep out of my pores!</em>"</p><p>There was a sudden tension in the air, so thick and oppressive that it was as if the sky itself was darkening with his mood. The sickly aura put Seamus's hairs on end.</p><p>At once, the tension vanished, along with Ghirahim again. When he reappeared behind her, he was idly brushing his fingers through his mussed hair. "But oh well. Getting mad will hardly solve anything, will it? My original quarry has taken his prize and left, and you've proven just how worthless these men are without their captain. At this point, I want nothing more than to wash my hands of this whole mess and return to my master's side."</p><p>"Sorry to disappoint you," Samus said, unperturbed by Ghirahim's show of power, "but you won't be going anywhere. The bounty on your head is nearly as sizable as the Grim Captain's. You'll be coming with me. Then, you'll be telling me where he went."</p><p>The self-proclaimed demon lord glanced back at her in an almost uninterested manner. Slowly though, a nasty grin spread across his face. "You want to know where he went? In the interest of spite, I'd be happy to tell you." Samus tensed, not liking the gleam in his eyes. "Have you heard the news? The young princess of Ylisse has gone missing. A sweet little girl with blue hair and the royal crest in her eye. As it happens, she was on this very vessel not too long ago. But our dear Grimleal captain left with her, heading in, and. What he has planned for her is anyone's guess."</p><p>Seamus's blood ran cold. The princess's disappearance was news that had only recently spread to these lands. It wasn't unthinkable; that pirates were responsible for her abduction. But a Ylissean royal in the hands of a Grimleal, especially one as feared as the Grim Captain… the thought didn't bear thinking about.</p><p>She launched herself at Ghirahim. If his words were true, she needed to capture him quickly and track down the missing princess before something terrible happened.</p><p>Predictably, the trickster vanished again. "Sorry to disappoint <em>you</em>," came his voice from back up the central mast, "but I have places to be. Maybe I'll see if I can't pick up that Kremling's captain on my way home. As for you…"</p><p>He snapped his fingers, prompting several daggers to appear in mid-air. Then he snapped again, and again, summoning more daggers with each snap. Once he had a veritable wall of them lined up behind him, he pointed down at Samus, sending the blades raining down on her.</p><p>Samus back-stepped, dodging, weaving, and deflecting as many daggers as she could until she found cover behind the rear mast. The rest of the hailstorm embedded itself harmlessly into the ship. She stepped out from behind the mast to once again engage Ghirahim, but the trickster was nowhere to be found.</p><p>The bounty hunter cursed. She had to get after him before-</p><p>One last snap echoed throughout the ship. With it came a series of needle-like bolts of magic that embedded themselves into the railing of the ship. A latticework of diamond-shaped magic materialized between the bolts of magic, creating a barrier encompassing the entire ship.</p><p>Ghirahim's voice echoed out, reverberating off the walls. "That should hold you until I'm out of range. May we never meet again, dear bounty hunter!"</p><p>Samus cursed under her breath. She walked up to the orange barrier and gave it a nice, sturdy kick. No dice.</p><p>For a moment, her hand drifted up to her pauldron. She sighed. There was likely no point. With his ability to teleport, chasing him down would likely be an act of futility. For now, she would take care of the Grim Pirates. She would see if their accounts backed up Ghirahim's claims, then she'd decide her next move.</p><p>….And pick up her bounty. She could use a nice meal and a hot bath after this mess.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ well, hope you enjoyed that, also Sorry about Regna Ferox, but wolfy and I needed a place to put everything … Valm too, I guess … should've apologized for that one a while ago.</p><p>right well, I think I should probably mention that Wolfy and I will be taking a bit o a break from SoS, he's got school to worry about and I don't wanna put more pressure on him. I'm not sure when we'll be back but I can assure you that we will be coming back, Wolfy and I really do enjoy writing this fic so I hope you'll stay tuned for our return.</p><p>~S. Rosy (10/26/20)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Bounty Hunter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So it’s been a while, huh. Yeah, I’m really sorry about the wait. So Wolfy has lost motivation, and the rigorous scheduling stressed me out so much I burnt myself out. So due to those two reasons, I’m tossing the schedule out the window. So chapters are going to be coming out at random. I hope you guys don’t mind, well I hope you all enjoy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Are you sure about this?” Corrin asked with uncertainty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I’m sure!” Lucina waved off. “You want to get better at controlling your powers, right? Miss Byleth always said that experience is the key to growth. So all you need is proper practice! Isn’t that right, Akira?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s not exactly wrong….” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the group had found a place to set up camp for the night, Lucina had wasted no time in volunteering herself and Corrin to fetch some water from the nearby lake. And, knowing the others would be too worried to let the two girls go off on their own, she volunteered Akira to accompany them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While the lanky boy’s competence in a fight made for a good excuse. The real reason Lucina picked him was because she knew he’d be the least concerned with the safety hazards involved with her true goal: teaching Corrin to control her dragon form. </span>
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  <span>Of course, the boys weren’t the only ones concerned with the safety of this venture…</span>
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  <span>“I just… really don’t wanna hurt you guys….” Corrin continued, her tail wagging worriedly. </span>
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  <span>“Relax! I’ve seen Auntie Tiki turn into a dragon more times than I can count! And if she can do it, I see no reason why we can’t get started on you on our way to meet her.” She then gestured over to Akira. “Besides, if you do lose control, Akira here will do something about it. Right, Akira?” </span>
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  <span>“Don’t put words in my mouth.” Lucina gave Akira a displeased look. He just gave a helpless shrug in return. “I don’t feel like getting mauled by a dragon today.” </span>
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  <span>If anything, Corrin was just looking even more distressed now. Lucina let out a sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be fine,” Lucina assured her. “Back on the pirate ship, you didn’t hurt me at all, even with how scared and mad you were!. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’ll be perfectly safe here with you, dragon, or not! Even more than that, I have no doubt that you could help a lot of people with your powers, just like you saved us back then!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corrin’s distress visibly melted at the genuine belief Lucina expressed in her. “A-Alright! If you really have so much faith in me, then the least I can do is try!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the spirit!” Lucina exclaimed, glad to see her recently-made friend looking confident in herself for once. Then, she and Akira backed away to give Corrin some space while she mentally prepared herself to transform. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a look of newfound determination, Corrin took several deep breaths and started flexing her already visible dragon parts. As her transformation began, Akira leaned in close to whisper to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but what do we actually do if she goes wild again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina waved him off dismissively, not taking her eyes off of Corrin’s transformation. “Like I said, you’ll handle it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… how?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged. “You’ll figure something out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira dropped the issue and straightened up, mumbling something about ‘spoiled nobles.’ He worried too much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In front of them, Corrin completed her transformation into the familiar armored form of her dragon self. The majestic creature examined her surroundings and pawed at the dirt a bit but otherwise didn’t make any moves that could be seen as aggressive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina took a hopeful step forward. “Corrin? How do you feel?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dragon ignored them and instead turned towards the lake. She leisurely dove in, splashing a good deal of water onto the shore. Then, she resurfaced and began swimming around in circles, splashing about as she went. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina turned to Akira. “See? She’s fine!” Akira just shrugged. The two of them made their way to the lakeside. Lucina called out to her dragon companion. “Corrin! Over here!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time the dragon heeded her call, floating over to them like a peaceful lake beast. With most of her body submerged, her plated head was about face-to-face with Lucina’s. She pushed her face into Lucina, rubbing up against her like a playful cat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young princess couldn’t stifle a giggle. “Corriiin! Stooop! That tickles, and you’re getting water on me!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dragon laid off her once she had her fill. “Alright, Corrin, you had your fun. Now time to get down to business.” Lucina began in her best authoritative tone. “We’re going to get you to be more aware of yourself while in this form. Let’s start off with a simple talk. I’m Lucina, your friend. You hear me? Lu-ci-na! Do you understand me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dragon just tilted her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few moments of silence passed. Lucina then looked back at Akira, who had taken a few cautionary feet back. “Well? Now you try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira awkwardly raised his hand in greeting. “Uh… hey. It’s me, Akira. How ya doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dragon stared at him for a good, long second. Then, without warning, she flicked her tail towards Akira, splashing water all over him. Lucina’s authoritative air cracked as she once again failed to stifle her giggles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira wiped some water off his face. “Cute.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corrin yippee happily and rolled onto her back in the water. Well, the teaching session wasn’t exactly going anywhere, but at least Corrin was enjoying herself. Lucina would just have to take solace in that for now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of rustling bushes and footsteps made the three of them freeze. Lucina whipped around, ready to defend why she was playing with a draconic Corrin rather than fetching the water, only to realize that the face entering the clearing was an unfamiliar one. She then froze again when she realized a stranger had caught her with a dragon in the middle of the woods, and that could have its own awkward consequences. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although, the woman before them didn’t appear particularly threatening. She was beautiful, though. Cool-looking, even. She was armed, but Lucina was pretty sure that was normal for travelers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few long moments, they all just stared at each other in silence. Lucina had expected Akira to take the lead and greet her, but the boy hadn’t moved an inch since the woman showed herself. Pretty lousy bodyguard etiquette. It seemed she’d have to initiate things herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, hello there!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…Hello.” The woman responded. Her voice was deep but soft. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her bare-bones response wasn’t encouraging, but Lucina was more than familiar with the quiet, to-the-point types. Or maybe she was just stunned silent by finding a dragon in the woods. Either way, the princess pressed on. “Lovely weather we have today. What brings you out to these parts?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…I was just heading up north to the next town over. I’m… visiting family there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! That’s cool! We’re-“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Also travelers.” Akira cut her off stiffly. “We got a… job offer from a relative of mine a few towns over westward, so we’re heading over there to set up shop. Right, kiddo?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, right. Best to keep their identities and destination on the down-low. She didn’t think the woman looked untoward but better safe than sorry. They wouldn’t want to come off as suspicious, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah! Shop! It’s, Uh… a café!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Café.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re heading there now! Right, Corrin?” She asked the ten-foot-tall dragon sitting in the lake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dragon rumbled in what Lucina was sure could be interpreted as an agreement in some cultures. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, gods, they looked so suspicious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Expectantly, the woman was staring right at Corrin, eyes narrowed. “And is the… dragon… a part of this café you’re starting?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s our mascot.” Akira helpfully supplied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mascot.” The woman repeated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s, Uh, really a sweetheart, actually!” Lucina insisted, trying in vain to salvage their story. “She likes pets! You can pet her, see?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She held her hand out, and the dragon eagerly came forward to receive the offered attention. As she pampered her purring friend, she gave the woman what she hoped was a convincing smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman looked between the three of them, then glanced back and forth as if checking her surroundings. “…Can I?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah-ha! An animal lover! Lucina’s comparison of this woman to Miss Byleth had paid off. For as cool and unemotional as her mentor may appear, she never turned down the opportunity to pet an eager animal if she could help it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman approached but paused a few feet away to send an odd glare Akira’s way. The young man held his hands up defenselessly and backed away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What’s that about?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she wondered. Did they know each other? Surely they would’ve recognized each other if that were the case. Well, she’d have to ask Akira about it later. Better not to draw any more attention to the awkward encounter than they already had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman slowly reached out to Corrin. The dragon didn’t respond to her with the same vigor as she did with Lucina, but she didn’t pull away either. Then, the woman laid her palm against the smooth surface of Corrin’s faceplate and stroked it appreciatively. Eventually, Corrin started purring again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…She’s a good girl.” The woman finally said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina beamed. “Isn’t she, though? We were just out here teaching her…” She saw Akira waving his hand back and forth over the woman’s shoulder. “…uh, how to be friendlier towards strangers. For the café. And stuff.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, nobody said anything; Lucina and the woman spent some time giving Corrin attention until the dragon had enough and returned to her leisurely patrol around the lake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should get going.” The woman announced abruptly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Safe travels.” Was Akira’s brisk reply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed awfully rude to send the woman on her way without so much as getting her name, but Akira seemed adamant about interacting with this woman as little as possible. So as much as it bugged Lucina, she’d just have to play along for now. “Yeah, safe travels. I hope you have fun visiting your family!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stoic woman cracked a small smile, albeit briefly. “You too.” She looked Lucina in the eyes for a moment. A strange look flashed across her own eyes as she did. “…Take care of yourself.” She left without another word after that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina crossed her arms as she turned to Akira. “I thought you’d be better at coming up with a cover story than that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira adjusted his glasses defensively. “I’m great at being undercover; I’ll have you know.” He looked away sheepishly. “I was just on the spot, is all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The princess raised an eyebrow. “Is that all? You looked like you were sweating buckets over there. Do you know that lady?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not personally.” He admitted. “But I’ve heard of her. If I’m right, she’s a phenomenal bounty hunter. Not the kind of person I- er, our group would want to gain the attention of. Former pirate captains and all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina narrowed her eyes. “Uh-Huh.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira coughed. “We should grab that water. The others will start worrying soon. Corrin! Help us out over here!” He received another tail-splash in response. “…Thanks.” </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>As Samus stalked through the woods, she took some time to contemplate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That had certainly been the princess of Ylisse, no doubt about it. Her physical traits coincided with what Samus knew about her. The crest in her eye was not something one could easily replicate. Loathe as she was to believe it, the tidbit Ghirahim had left her with seemed credible. Now the question was, what was she doing playing out in the open, rather than confined and within the Grim Captain’s sight?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The information she had squeezed out of the pirate crew had corroborated Ghirahim’s story but also brought up more questions than answers. According to their testimony, the princess and several others had been brought aboard their ship by a mercenary companion of the captain’s. Besides that, the lowly criminals were of little help. None of them knew the identities of the individuals accompanying the princess, nor did they know she was even a princess, to begin with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their lack of knowledge did little to shed light on the situation, but several details could be gleaned from their accounts. One of the princess’s “companions” was in possession of some kind of relic blade, another was an extremely deft and skillful fighter with high-quality tools at his disposal, and the third was a borderline feral dragon-kin, and all of them left with the captain and his sell-sword. She was confident that the skilled fighter and dragonkin were the ones accompanying the princess at the lake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whole situation was incredibly suspicious. Were the people escorting the princess also responsible for her kidnapping? Although, if that were the case, then surely she wouldn’t have been so comfortable in the presence of one of her supposed captors back at the lake. Given that they were consorting with the Grim Captain, it was plausible that they were hired by him, or at the very least, had struck some kind of deal with him. Perhaps these individuals had “rescued” the princess from a previous assailant, falsely gaining her trust?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there was the dragon-kin; she had been… friendly. Samus’s initial assumption was that she was meant to act as a guard dog, but with how lax she had been in Samus’s presence, that seemed unlikely. Perhaps another unwitting prisoner, then. Dragons were extremely valuable, after all, especially for a dark mage’s purposes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever the case was, the laughable act the glasses-wearing boy put on at the lake proved that he knew of her and that he was wary of her. As much as she would’ve liked to thrash him and free the princess of her unwitting captivity, the Grim Pirate was her top priority. She’d get the facts straight easily enough once she captured him. Speaking of which…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘This is probably enough distance.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Now came the task of tracking those three back to the rest of their group. Then the fun would start. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Chrom let out a battle cry as his blade clashed against Shulk’s Monado. The younger boy tried to hold his ground but was soon shoved back by the stronger swordsman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom casually rested his blade on his shoulder. “Had enough yet?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a shout of his own, Shulk came at Chrom with an overhead swing. Chrom boldly met the two-handed strike head-on, catching the relic with his blade and knocking it away with relative ease. Then, seeing his attack had failed, Shulk skipped back a few paces out of Chrom’s immediate range. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shulk watched Chrom intensely. There had to be something he was missing. Another plan jumped into his brain, and he rushed at Chrom again. However, this time, he made to swipe at Chrom’s legs, hoping to knock him off balance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom agilely jumped aside and then brought the flat of his blade into Shulk’s back. Shulk yelped as all the air was knocked out of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he didn’t get up immediately, Chrom rushed to his side, “apologies.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay,” Shulk managed to wheeze out from the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom knelt by his side and helped the boy to a sitting position. “I didn’t expect you to be quite so ...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Delicate.” Shulk winced and took in a deep breath before giving a light-hearted smile “you wouldn’t be the first to say that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom gave an awkward laugh as he sat himself down. “Perhaps we should call it there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Shulk reached a hand to his back, not entirely sure if it would leave a bruise “how do you do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Parden?” Chrom tilted his head to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shulk reached for his Monado that had skitted out of his hand in the fall. “It’s like you know my every move.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom scratched at the back of his neck. “In truth, you are very telling in your stance,” Shulk winced at that as Chrom continued. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to mention you seem to have these long pauses mid-battle” at that, he gave Shulk a knowing smile. “Perhaps try not to think as much; you leave yourself open.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right” Shulk nodded once, lowering his gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t beat yourself up over this” Chrom placed a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder “it’s something that comes with experience.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Shulk met his gaze, Chrom gave him a reassuring smile. “You have potential. Swinging around a blade that size is no easy task.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have fooled me” Shulk shook his head, although he did return a smile. “Dunban made it seem so easy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom raised an eyebrow “Dunban?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was the one who looked after me ever since I was small,” Shulk smiled fondly. “He found me and took me in, me a complete stranger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He sounds like a kind man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He is” Shulk beamed “he taught me all I know about fighting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s an incredible fighter” he shook his head as if not able to believe it himself. “Regardless of having lost coordination in his dominant arm back in the war.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The war?” Chrom frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shulk scratched his head. “I’m not quite sure which one” he then lowered his gaze “he doesn’t talk about it much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shulk looked back up at Chrom. “Have you ever fought in a war?” his eyes suddenly widened in realization of what he had asked. “oh, sorry, is that too personal?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s quite alright,” Chrom looked down at his own blade. “I’ve never fought in a war myself, but my older sister was a field medic.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a far-off look in his eyes as he added, “after she didn’t return to us, I turned to mercenary work to support my younger sister.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My deepest condolences,” Shulk lowered his head and averted eye contact. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense,” Chrom shook his head, “any memory of my sister was a happy one, regardless of her fate” he gave Shulk his best smile. However, the boy could see the pain behind it, “she wouldn’t have wanted anyone to linger on that pain.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a long solemn silence that filled the air, neither one in a mood to break it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We brought the water!” Lucina cheered, announcing her and the other two’s arrival, “and no shenanigans happened, I swear.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin stepped out of the newly set up tent “oh, in that case, I believe you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really” Luci’s eyes lit up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin fixed her with an unamused look as he knelt down in front of her. He looked over her wet outfit and then cast a glance at her two drenched friends. “Sure” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up and turned to the group. “I’ll go gather firewood,” he then looked at the returning group, “dry yourselves off; we don’t need anyone getting sick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom was up before Shulk fully registered it. “I’ll join you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin looked to Chrom, and Shulk could almost feel the tension between them, he wasn’t quite sure what kind of tension, but he was confident that that had been the best word to describe it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin only gave a single nod and walked off, Chrom at his heels. Shulk then turned to his soaked companions, “what bloody happened to you three?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucina tucked her hands behind her and, in the most innocent voice, said, “We got water.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They walked through the woods in silence. Questions ravaging Chrom’s mind so intensely he felt he was about to burst. It had not just been a day but many. So many days of not getting answers, and they had never had time alone to discuss this until now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Robin?” Chrom finally broke the silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a last-second decision,” Robin shot back so quickly it was as if he had been waiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it wasn’t” Chrom felt pain in his chest. There was no way that was true, for him maybe but not Robin. “I thought I was the impulsive one between the two of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped and turned to his partner. “Is this about Lucina?” he ventured “about what you told me?” was it he didn’t have faith that Chrom could handle it alone? Was it that big a threat? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chrom, please” He wasn’t sure when he had gripped Robin’s shoulders, but he was aware of it now. He let go and took a step back; he didn’t mean to go that far. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath. “Robin, you aren’t making any sense.” he ran a hand through his own blue hair and gripped it tightly “first, you tell me I might not see you again, and now you’re reconsidering.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took another breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out as slow as he could “it just doesn’t make any sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin didn’t meet his eyes. “I just decided to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Robin,” there was something in his chest scratching against his ribs. “Please,” it came out as an almost desperate plea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a lump in his throat. “I know I might not fully understand,” he tried to swallow it, “but you can at least humor me into trying”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I,” he did look up, and for a moment, Chrom thought he would be honest, “I just couldn’t stay on that ship anymore,” but he was lying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” he turned away from Robin and tried to ease the pain and venom creeping in his voice, “keep your secrets.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin reached out, this time taking his arm, and met his gaze again. “I’ll tell you eventually, Chrom” there was a softness in his voice. He was hurt too is seemed; perhaps he felt selfish, “I promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His gaze was honest then, and Chrom couldn’t hold it against him. “Alright,” he gently rested his own hand over Robin’s, giving it a gentle squeeze, and smiled, “I’ll hold you to that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment of clearing the air between them, they continued on with their search for firewood. The two had walked a bit further in comfortable silence. Until Chrom noticed Robin was tugging at his right glove, his shoulders were stiff, and his brow was furrowed as he stared ahead. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Something is bothering him; should I say something?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He tossed an arm around Robin’s shoulders, a comforting, almost protective gesture. He raised his other arm as he opened his mouth to say something. When something suddenly coiled around his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom stared at the whip leading into the darkness; there was a tugging on the other side. Robin jumped back instantly, his tome at the ready. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘An assailant!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Chrom gripped the whip before it had time to retreat and yanked it to him with all his strength. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly a woman is brought forward from the darkness aiming a powerful kick his way. His sword was in his grip out of instinct. He wouldn’t allow this ambush to go unpunished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had quick instincts, it seemed, as she managed to nearly avoid his blade. He let go of her whip as she soared past him. She landed gracefully as she turned her attention towards them again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrom took a fighting stance in front of Robin. “Who are you, and what do you want with us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Samus Aren,” Robin said as he straightened his grip, tightening on his tome, “The illustrious bounty hunter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you must be the Captain of the Pirates of Grim” the way she looked over, Robin Chrom knew this wouldn’t end well. She raised her whip out, clearly a threat. “release the Princess and come quietly” Chrom turned to Robin, who only looked on unperturbed by the allegations. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘But Lucina wasn’t a hostage’</span>
  </em>
  <span> however the look in Robin’s eyes told Chrom there was no point in trying to change Samus’ mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin must have known that too, as he unsheathed his cutlass and took a battle stance of his own “I’m afraid I can’t do that, I have a promise I must keep”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no way to avoid the fight to come. They would have to explain it to her after they subdue her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So be it.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AN/ so I know it’s pretty short for a chapter that has been in production for a while but, it’s all I got at the moment. But hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon <br/>~ S. Rosy (5/5/21)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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